On December 20, 2025 the world’s first commercial supercritical carbon dioxide power generator began operation in China.
The power generator, which went into operation at a steel production plant in the Guizhou province, uses carbon dioxide in place of steam to transfer waste heat from industrial processes. The generator has been connected to the grid, and supplies electricity generated from the steel plant’s waste heat.
The supercritical carbon dioxide power generator works by keeping CO2 gas above a critical pressure and temperature where it acquires the properties of both a gas and a liquid.
The Guizhou system’s two 15 megawatt CO2 units are 50 percent more efficient in making electricity from waste heat than the steam power systems that are in use around the world.
According to China’s Institute of Mechanics since the supercritical carbon dioxide is denser than steam, the power generators can be more compact and used in much smaller spaces.
The system is characterized by a simplified structural design with fewer components, leading to significantly easier operation and maintenance compared to conventional steam-cycle plants.
The breakthrough in clean energy systems promises a new future even for nuclear technology. The Nuclear Power Institute of China, which was established in 1958, has been working on the supercritical carbon dioxide power generator for over a decade.
Other such systems are also being tested across the world, but China is the first to successfully put it into commercial operation.
Sources:
China National Nuclear Corporation, Dec 31, 2025. https://en.cnnc.com.cn/2025-12/31/c_1152376.htm
Interesting Engineering, Nov 25, 2025. https://interestingengineering.com/energy/china-carbon-dioxide-power-generator
See also:
Decarbonisation News, February 4, 2026. https://decarbonisation.news/china-launches-worlds-first-commercial-supercritical-co2-waste-heat-power-plant-signalling-a-new-era-in-industrial-decarbonisation/
China Environment News 