Breaking Water with Wind
SK ecoplant announced on May 17 that it has signed an investment agreement with World Energy GH₂ of Canada at Lotte Hotel Seoul to participate in the US$4.5 billion Nujio’qonik Green Hydrogen Project. World Energy GH₂ is developing a large-scale green hydrogen project based in the area of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
The signing ceremony was attended by Park Kyung-il, president of SK ecoplant; John Risley, chairman of World Energy GH₂; and Sean Leet, CEO of World Energy GH₂.
The project will be located on the island of Newfoundland in eastern Canada. It is a project that breaks down water with electricity generated by wind power to extract hydrogen without carbon emissions and then converts it into green ammonia for transportation to other continents such as Europe.
The project name, Nujio’qonik, means “Where the sand blows” in Canadian Aboriginal language. The name reflects the fact that Newfoundland has traditionally had good wind quality, which is why the project site is considered a prime location for wind power generation. Newfoundland’s location on the easternmost tip of Canada also facilitates the export of green ammonia to other continents, like Europe.
The first phase of the three-phase project is worth US$4.5 billion (6 trillion won). It will include approximately 1 GW of onshore wind power to generate electricity and 600 MW of solid oxide electrolyzer cells (SOECs) and polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzer cells (PEMECs) to produce green hydrogen. A green ammonia plant will also be built to convert 60,000 tons of green hydrogen produced annually into approximately 360,000 tons of ammonia. Green hydrogen production is targeted for March 2025 and green ammonia production for March 2026.