Bloom Energy, SK ecoplant partner for a major hydrogen demonstration project

Leading solid-oxide electrolyzer (SOEC) technology manufacturer, Bloom Energy on Wednesday announced that it has tied up with SK ecoplant, a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate SK Group to deploy Bloom's solid oxide electrolyzer in the Jeju Island hydrogen demonstration project in South Korea.

The demonstration project which will be developed by the Korea Southern Power Co., Ltd (KOSPO) and local government is expected to commence in late 2025 and will be a first-of-its-kind hydrogen demonstration project in the country. It will include 1.8 MW of Bloom's SOEC technology that will help produce green hydrogen at scale for use as a transport fuel on Jeju Island.

"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 and chairman, CEO of Bloom Energy, Inc.

"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."

Bloom electrolyzer will be combined with SK's engineered infrastructure for the project.

Jeju Island embarked upon the "Carbon Free Island 2030" project that aims to fully convert all vehicles and electricity generation to renewables by 2030. The hydrogen produced from the latest demonstration project will be used to meet the carbon-free island goal by supplying green hydrogen to hydrogen refueling stations that will power public vehicles.

"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 project includes a consortium of companies and technologies, capitalizing on the geographic characteristics of Jeju Island, known for its wind power and abundant natural resources. The consortium plans to build and operate the nation's largest 12.5MW-scale hydrogen production facilities, including other electrolyzer technologies. The main goal of the consortium is to produce green hydrogen, secure economic viability in distribution, and establish a foundation for commercialization.