Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Requests Domestic Investment in Green Hydrogen Sector from US Bloom Energy

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The government has requested domestic investment from the U.S. fuel cell company Bloom Energy to expand green hydrogen.

On the 14th, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Yang Byeongnae, Director of the Hydrogen Economy Policy Division, met with Bloom Energy's Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and the President of Bloom SK Fuel Cell, who are visiting Korea, at the Government Complex Sejong to discuss ways to develop the domestic fuel cell ecosystem.

Director Yang highly praised Bloom Energy's efforts to expand the supply chain with domestic small and medium-sized enterprises after establishing a joint factory with SK Ecoplant in Gumi, Gyeongbuk Province, last September.

He requested, "Please build a supply chain where fuel cells produced at the Gumi factory can be exported to third countries, and domestic materials and parts companies can enter overseas markets together with Bloom Energy." He also urged Bloom Energy to strive to improve the energy efficiency of fuel cells and to launch fuel cells that directly input hydrogen.

Furthermore, he actively requested investment for the development of water electrolysis technology necessary for green hydrogen production and for fostering the domestic water electrolysis industrial ecosystem.

Bloom Energy mentioned that since establishing the joint venture, it has been cooperating with domestic shipbuilders to develop liquefied natural gas (LNG) ships using fuel cells as propulsion systems. They are currently developing a hydrogen direct input fuel cell model and conducting demonstrations in Ulsan, with plans to officially launch the product next year.

Regarding water electrolysis, they stated that they will accelerate the development of high-efficiency solid oxide electrolysis cell (SOEC) technology and release it in the second half of next year, contributing to Korea's achievement of a clean hydrogen-based hydrogen economy.

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