World's First and Largest Byproduct Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant Completed... Doosan to Handle 20 Years of Maintenance

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] The Daesan Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant, supplied with 114 hydrogen fuel cells by Doosan Fuel Cell, has been constructed. This is the world's first and largest fuel cell power plant using by-product hydrogen as fuel.

The completion ceremony was held at the Daesan Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant site located in Seosan, Chungnam, attended by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Jung Seung-il, Chungnam Governor Yang Seung-jo, Seosan Mayor Maeng Jeong-ho, Doosan Fuel Cell CEO Yoo Soo-kyung, and Hanwha Energy CEO Jung In-seop.

Doosan Fuel Cell supplied 114 units of 440kW by-product hydrogen fuel cells (total capacity 50MW) developed with proprietary technology to this power plant. They will also be responsible for maintenance of the fuel cells for the next 20 years.

By-product hydrogen fuel cells are a high-efficiency power generation system that uses by-product hydrogen generated as a by-product in petrochemical processes as fuel, producing electricity and heat through electrochemical reactions with oxygen.

It is an eco-friendly power generation method that does not produce greenhouse gases or other air pollutants, and it is equipped with built-in filters capable of filtering ultrafine dust, enabling air purification as well. Compared to other renewable energies such as solar and wind power, fuel cells have the advantage of stable electricity production and higher power generation per installation area.

Doosan Fuel Cell, Hanwha Energy, and Korea East-West Power established a special purpose corporation, Daesan Green Energy, in January 2018 and built the 50MW-class Daesan Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant in the Daesan Industrial Complex, Seosan, Chungnam. This power plant began full-scale commercial operation in June. It produces approximately 400,000 MWh of electricity annually, enough to supply about 160,000 households in the Chungnam region.

Yoo Soo-kyung, CEO of Doosan Fuel Cell, said, "The successful completion of the Daesan Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant is expected to be an important milestone for South Korea to secure technological competitiveness in the global fuel cell market." She added, "Doosan Fuel Cell will strive to achieve 100% localization of fuel cells, currently at 98%, expand production, and foster an industrial ecosystem through co-growth with partner companies in line with the activation of the hydrogen economy."

Doosan Fuel Cell, which holds core technology for hydrogen fuel cells, established a production plant in Iksan, Jeonbuk, in May 2017. This facility can produce up to 168 units (total 74MW) of 440kW fuel cells annually. To date, Doosan Fuel Cell has supplied a total of 987 fuel cells, equivalent to 433.86MW, domestically.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.