Hydrogen Supply Using NEXO Fuel Cell Begins in Ulsan

Hyundai Motor Company, Korea East-West Power Co., Ltd., and Deokyang Co., Ltd. Launch NEXO Fuel Cell Hydrogen Power Generation

2.8 km Dedicated Hydrogen Pipeline Laid, Expanding Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Generation in East-West Power Area

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A 1 MW-class polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) hydrogen fuel cell demonstration facility has been established in Ulsan.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] Ulsan City, dreaming of realizing the world’s best ‘hydrogen city,’ is steadily advancing its hydrogen fuel cell power generation project.

Ulsan City has set the goal of the ‘2030 Ulsan World’s Best Hydrogen City Vision’ and is accelerating its plans.

On January 20 at 10 a.m., Ulsan City held a ‘Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) Hydrogen Fuel Cell Demonstration Facility (1MW class) Completion Ceremony’ in the situation room on the 7th floor of the main building. The event was conducted via the government’s real-time video conferencing system, Digitect, with online participation from Korea East-West Power Co., Ltd., Hyundai Motor Company, and Deokyang Co., Ltd.

The 1MW-scale ‘Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Hydrogen Fuel Cell Demonstration Facility,’ capable of supplying electricity to about 2,000 households, is a facility that directly receives hydrogen from hydrogen pipelines and generates electricity by reacting it with oxygen collected from the air and an ion-exchange membrane electrolyte.

This project involved joint participation by Hyundai Motor Company, Korea East-West Power Co., Ltd., and Deokyang Co., Ltd., with a total project cost of 6.6 billion KRW. The facility was constructed on a 650㎡ site within the Korea East-West Power Ulsan Thermal Power Headquarters in Namhwa-dong, Nam-gu, starting in October 2019.

The main equipment includes the fuel cell main unit, hydrogen supply facilities, power transmission equipment, and cooling facilities. Hyundai Motor Company applied the fuel cell module from its hydrogen electric vehicle Nexo, developed for power generation purposes.

Deokyang Co., Ltd. laid a dedicated 2.8 km hydrogen pipeline around Korea East-West Power to expand the distribution of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEMFC) hydrogen fuel cells.

The participating organizations plan to intensify research and development to secure domestic production demonstration and operational technology for power generation hydrogen fuel cells by October 2022.

Ulsan declared the ‘2030 Ulsan Hydrogen City Vision’ in 2019 and is promoting related projects aiming to build 250MW of hydrogen fuel cell power generation capacity by 2030.

This ‘Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEMFC) Hydrogen Fuel Cell Demonstration Facility Completion Ceremony’ is expected to greatly contribute to promoting the distribution of large-capacity hydrogen fuel cells in the region.

Hyundai Motor Company President Ji Young-jo said, “We will successfully complete this project to open an era of power generation combining transportation fuel cells (PEMFC) with by-product hydrogen and pure hydrogen in industrial complexes, and contribute to job creation.”

Korea East-West Power President Park Il-jun said, “Through this 1MW-class domestic hydrogen fuel cell demonstration facility completion ceremony, we will actively respond to government and Ulsan City hydrogen policies and devote ourselves to revitalizing the regional economy and fostering the hydrogen industry through domestic production of hydrogen fuel cells in the future.”

Deokyang CEO Lee Hyun-tae said, “To activate the hydrogen economy in Ulsan, where our company is rooted, we will actively cooperate with the government and Ulsan City’s hydrogen policies as a specialized hydrogen company.”

Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho stated, “Currently, Ulsan has realized the entire hydrogen industry cycle in the hydrogen mobility sector, from hydrogen production and related parts manufacturing to finished vehicle production,” and added, “We plan to expand the power generation hydrogen fuel cell sector as well to establish a world-class hydrogen industry ecosystem.”