The first-of-its-kind demonstration for South Korea, which will commence in late 2025, includes 1.8 MW of Bloom’s solid oxide electrolyzer cells (SOEC) technology to develop green hydrogen at scale for use as transport fuel on Jeju Island, South Korea, which is known as a leading market for renewable energy projects.
“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,” said KR Sridhar, founder, chairman, and CEO of Bloom Energy. “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.”
SK and Bloom have a strategic relationship on a number of projects in South Korea. For this project, SK and Bloom will combine the Bloom Electrolyzer™ with SK’s engineered infrastructure to produce hydrogen ready to be used as transport fuel.
“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),” said Kyung-il Park, CEO of SK ecoplant. “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.”
The demonstration includes a consortium of companies and technologies. The Bloom Electrolyzer was chosen for its industry-leading high electrical efficiency, enabling KOSPO and the collaborators to achieve the highest efficiency results.
Jeju Island’s ‘Carbon Free Island 2030’ project aims to fully convert all vehicles and electricity generation to renewables by 2030. Hydrogen generated from this project will be used to advance that goal, demonstrating an alternative way to provide renewable and sustainable energy by helping supply green hydrogen to hydrogen refueling stations to power public vehicles.
Using the geographic characteristics of Jeju, known for its wind power and abundant natural resources, the consortium is undertaking to build and operate the South Korea’s largest hydrogen production facilities, with a capacity of 12.5 MW, including other electrolyzer technologies. The consortium aims to produce green hydrogen, secure economic viability in distribution, and establish a foundation for commercialization.
