China has activated what the South China Morning Post describes as the world’s first commercial power unit using supercritical carbon dioxide, or sCO₂, marking a notable step forward in clean energy technology.

Developed by the China National Nuclear Corporation, the generator replaces traditional steam with high-pressure CO₂ to turn waste heat from steelmaking into electricity, according to SCMP.

The first installation, located at the Shougang Shuicheng Steel complex in Liupanshui, Guizhou, links two 15-megawatt units to the grid and is expected to deliver roughly 50 per cent higher efficiency than typical steam-based waste-heat systems.

Unlike the Rankine cycle used in steam plants, sCO₂ systems operate on a compact Brayton-cycle loop. CO₂ becomes supercritical at high temperature and pressure, giving it fluid properties that boost energy conversion efficiency beyond 50 per cent while allowing turbines and auxiliary parts to be far smaller.

Because steel sintering can produce temperatures above 700°C, the process is well suited to this technology, and researchers see clear potential for applications in advanced nuclear reactors, mobile nuclear systems, space power units and concentrated solar facilities.

South China Morning Post writes that the project, built jointly with Jigang International Engineering and Technology, follows more than a decade of research. CNNC reached stable full-power laboratory operation in 2019 and began constructing the commercial system in 2023. According to SCMP, the new installation is intended to set a technological foundation for future large-scale deployments.

Similar sCO₂ demonstration efforts are also underway overseas. In Texas, the US Department of Energy–supported Step Demo pilot has already reached full turbine speed at 500°C, producing several megawatts of grid-synchronised power during early testing as it progresses toward its 10-MWe goal.