"As we evaluated our technology options, we decided that GE’s combined-cycle technology would be the best fit to help us achieve our operational goals, since gas turbines offer better efficiency and lower NOx and CO emissions than steam boilers and other alternatives."

—Mr. Liu Handong, WISCO Technical Director

Challenge:

Wuhan Iron & Steel (Group) Company needed to become a greener mill while maintaining a high level of efficiency.

Solution:

Turn waste into fuel that's capable of not only powering the mill, but also the public grid.

Wuhan Iron & Steel (Group) Company (WISCO) is China's fourth-largest steel producer. At the time they were making almost 40 million tons of iron and steel a year, operating with traditional steam boilers. The rising steel demand was driving the need for more electricity to 10 billion kilowatt hours per year. That was an unsustainable, costly drain on the public grid.

However, with China beginning to emphasize greener industry that uses less energy, WISCO saw an opportunity. They made it their goal to find a way to increase energy efficiency and profitability, all while reducing emissions and maintaining a high level of production. And they wanted a new system that did all that in place and could be fully functional in just 26 months.