An overhead view of the cold energy power generation plant located in Yangshan Port, Shanghai. [Photo/WeChat ID: shlgguanweihui]

The biggest cold energy power generation plant in the country, located at the Yangshan liquefied natural gas receiving station in East China's Shanghai, recently completed grid-connected power generation debugging.

It successfully passed performance and reliability tests, effectively filling a gap in China's cold energy power generation field.

The cold energy power generation plant utilizes the high-quality, low-temperature cold energy of LNG and the low-grade thermal energy of seawater to generate electricity, based on the gasification of 200 metric tons of LNG per hour.

It can generate electricity ranging from 2,000-4,000 kilowatts. Furthermore, it features uninterrupted switching and one-touch start-stop operations between power generation and bypass gasification modes, providing high efficiency and convenience in its operations.

In particular, this form of power generation deviates from the conventional form of using coal or natural gas as a heat source, effectively reducing carbon emissions.

Moreover, LNG – at a temperature of -160 C – contains a significant amount of high-grade cold energy.

It's estimated that an LNG receiving station with an annual capacity of 6 million tons can release cold energy equivalent to 1.4 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. If properly utilized, the benefits of energy conservation and environmental protection are said to be significant.