South Korean energy firm SK E&S has partnered state-owned utility Korea South-East Power (Koen) and SK Plug Hyverse to collaborate on domestic and international green hydrogen and green ammonia projects.
SK E&S will supply the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM)-type hydrolytic facilities required for green hydrogen production through SK Plug Hyverse, SK E&S said on 18 August, without providing further details. SK Plug Hyverse is a joint venture between SK E&S and US fuel cell company Plug Power that was established in January, with SK E&S holding a 51pc stake and Plug Power owning the remaining 49pc.
The hydrolytic facility is a device that electrolyses water to produce green hydrogen without carbon emissions. Nitrogen can then be synthesised with the green hydrogen to produce green ammonia, which can conveniently be transported internationally.
Koen, which provides 10pc of the country's total power supply, plans to use the green ammonia and green hydrogen produced for co-firing at its domestic coal and gas power plants, SK E&S said. This will allow existing power generation facilities to be retrofitted at a relatively low cost to burn hydrogen and ammonia along with coal and natural gas, dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the firm added.
South Korea's domestic hydrogen supply is expected to rise from 220,000 t/yr in 2020 to 3.9mn t/yr in 2030 and 27.9mn t/yr in 2050, SK E&S said, citing the government's "First Basic Plan for the Implementation of the Hydrogen Economy" released last year. The country is subsequently considering various measures to domestically produce blue hydrogen, as well as the inexpensive production of green hydrogen in countries with abundant renewable energy resources, before converting it into liquefied hydrogen or ammonia and exporting it to South Korea.
"Considering domestic production capacity, it is essential to secure overseas supply chains," said Koen new business division head Eun Sang-pyo.
SK Plug Hyverse also previously signed a contract with state-owned Kogas to build a 1MW PEM hydrolytic facility, SK E&S said on 31 May. It is also building a hydrogen gigafactory in Incheon, aiming to supply water electrolysis facilities and hydrogen fuel cell products to the domestic market and the rest of Asia by the second half of 2023.
PEM-type hydrolysis facilities have a load response capability that allows for relatively stable operations compared to alkaline hydrolysis, even in the case of unstable power supplies, according to SK E&S. This makes PEM-type facilities suitable for green hydrogen production, as renewable energy power input tends to be intermittent. These facilities can also be miniaturised and have low maintenance costs, according to SK E&S.
