SK Ecoplant has teamed up with Bloom Energy in a new large-scale green hydrogen demonstration to deploy hydrogen power with the Korea Southern Power and local government.
SK Ecoplant, an engineering and energy solutions provider and subsidiary of SK Group, will use Bloom’s solid oxide electrolyzer (SOEC) technology to develop green hydrogen at scale for use as transport fuel on Jeju Island, South Korea, which is known for renewable energy projects. The demonstration, which will begin in late 2025, will deploy 1.8 megawatts of the electrolyzer technology.
The new deal comes as SK and Bloom have already an established relationship with a number of projects across South Korea. The new project will bring together SK Group’s engineered infrastructure and Bloom Energy’s electrolyzer to produce hydrogen that will be used as transport fuel.
“The extension of our partnership with SK Ecoplant to include this deployment of Bloom’s SOEC is a logical step to show the superior efficiency of our electrolyzers compared to other technologies in the important South Korean market,” KR Sridhar, founder and chairman, CEO of Bloom Energy, said in a statement. “South Korea has been a leader in policies enabling clean hydrogen, and the efficiency and flexibility of Bloom’s SOEC will demonstrate our commitment to the lowest cost green hydrogen for South Korea.”
The deal also comes as hydrogen power is gaining more steam as a renewable energy source. Major automakers are also taking notice, including General Motors, which teamed up with Komatsu to jointly design a hydrogen fuel cell power module for Komatsu’s 930E electric mining truck. Another recent study noted that hydrogen projects globally are up 35% in the last six months, as of December 2023.
The demonstration at Jeju Island will also leverage an area with big climate change goals, including its “Carbon Free Island 2030” project, which aims to fully convert all vehicles and electricity generation to renewables by 2030. Hydrogen developed in the project will advance this goal.
“The results of this demonstration project will be crucial for SK to advance in the electrolysis market and pursue green hydrogen development projects domestically and internationally using Bloom's Solid Oxide Electrolyzer Cell (SOEC),” Kyung-il Park, CEO of SK Ecoplant, said in a statement. “This participation exemplifies a strategic collaboration between SK and Bloom, expanding the scope of cooperation from power generation (fuel cell) to global green hydrogen development projects, further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two companies."
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