World’s First Hydrogen Power Plant
In December last year, Hanwha Energy signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Korea East-West Power, Doosan, and SK Securities in order to build a 50 MW hydrogen fuel cell power plant in the Daesan Industrial Complex located in Seosan City, South Chungcheong Province.
On August 25, Hanwha Energy held a board meeting and approved of the establishment of a special purpose company, Daesan Green Energy, for the construction of the power plant.
A hydrogen fuel cell power plant is characterized by generating power from an electrochemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen, not from combustion as in conventional thermal power generation. As a result, neither greenhouse gas nor particulate matter is emitted during the course.
The hydrogen fuel cell power plant to be housed in the industrial complex is the first and largest one of its kind in the world. The construction starts in December this year and the initial commercial production is scheduled for November 2019. A total of 255 billion won is invested in the construction.
“It is the first power plant in South Korea that uses byproduct hydrogen as its fuel and the largest of its type in the world,” Hanwha explained, adding, “It has an annual power generation capacity of 400,000 MWh, which can serve approximately 80,000 households.”