Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering to Develop Large-Capacity Fuel Cells with Fraunhofer and Elcogen

Integration of Fuel Cell Manufacturing and Water Electrolysis Technology
Establishing a 'Hydrogen Value Chain'

On the 8th (local time) at CES 2023, the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition held in Las Vegas, USA, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediate holding company of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Germany's Fraunhofer IKTS and Estonia's Elcogen for the development of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and water electrolysis systems. (From left) Hanna Graneau-Fabritius, Chief Commercial Officer of Elcogen; Kim Sung-jun, Head of Future Technology Research Institute at Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering; Alexander Michaelis, Director of Fraunhofer IKTS. Photo by Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seoyoon] Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediate holding company for shipbuilding and marine under HD Hyundai, is collaborating with Europe's largest research institute and a fuel cell component manufacturer to develop fuel cells for ships and power generation, as well as to secure eco-friendly hydrogen production technology.

Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering recently announced on the 9th that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Germany's Fraunhofer and Estonia's Elcogen at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, USA, to develop solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and water electrolysis systems.

Under this agreement, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering will begin detailed design and prototype testing of large-capacity solid fuel cell systems used for ships and power generation together with Fraunhofer and Elcogen. Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Fraunhofer have already been working on the basic design of the fuel cell system since February last year.

Additionally, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering plans to secure technology for producing eco-friendly hydrogen by utilizing Fraunhofer's water electrolysis technology and Elcogen's manufacturing capabilities for core fuel cell components.

Fraunhofer is Europe's largest applied research and development institution, with 72 research institutes across Germany. It researches high-performance ceramic application technologies and holds world-class expertise in solid oxide fuel cell and water electrolysis technologies. Established in 2001, Elcogen is a global small giant company manufacturing cells, the core components of solid oxide fuel cells, and stacks, which are assemblies of these cells.

Solid oxide fuel cells are devices that generate electrical energy by reacting various fuels such as hydrogen, natural gas, ammonia, methanol, and biofuels with oxygen. They have high power generation efficiency and can recycle waste heat generated during high-temperature (600~1000℃) operation, making them suitable for ship engines and combined heat and power generation. Among various types of fuel cells, they are considered the most advanced technology to date.

According to Roland Berger, a German consulting firm, the solid oxide fuel cell market, valued at $460 million this year, is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 40.7% and reach approximately $7.12 billion by 2030.

Kim Sung-jun, Vice President and Head of Future Technology Institute at Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, stated, “HD Hyundai is promoting the establishment of a ‘hydrogen value chain’ that encompasses the production, transportation, storage, and utilization of eco-friendly hydrogen. Through this agreement, we plan to secure core technologies in eco-friendly hydrogen production and fuel cell manufacturing.”

Meanwhile, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering formed a consortium last October with global energy company Shell and Doosan Fuel Cell to conduct a demonstration project for fuel cells on large ships.

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