SK Ecoplant Wins Order for Fuel Cell Power Plant Supplying Heat to Donghae City

Recovering Heat Emitted from Fuel Cells to Supply Medium-Temperature Water Above 100°C
Exploring Overseas Combined Heat and Power Markets in Southeast Asia through Collaboration with Bloom Energy

[Asia Economy Reporter Onyu Lim] SK ecoplant announced on the 9th that it has won the EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contract for a 4.2MW-scale Bukpyeong Leisure Center fuel cell power plant commissioned by Korea East-West Power.

This project was promoted by Korea East-West Power and Donghae City to improve regional energy welfare. It is a project to build a heat supply-type fuel cell power plant near the site of Bukpyeong Leisure Center located in Gumi-dong, Donghae City. The construction period is about 12 months, and completion is scheduled for June next year.

Once the power plant is completed and operating normally, it will simultaneously supply about 35,000 MWh of electricity and about 4,000 Gcal of heat annually. The produced electricity is enough to supply about 7,000 households, and the heat is sufficient for about 300 households. The heat generated at the power plant will be supplied to the Bukpyeong Leisure Center, which is scheduled to open next year, and will be used for heating and water supply for the building and swimming pool. SK ecoplant plans to contribute to improving the welfare of local residents and maximize energy efficiency through the power plant.

This power plant is particularly notable for being equipped with Bloom Energy's solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) that have the highest level of power generation efficiency and almost no air pollutant emissions, combined with a heat recovery module developed by SK ecoplant. The heat emitted from the fuel cells is recovered to supply medium-temperature water above 100 degrees Celsius. This is significant as it overcomes the limitation of SOFC, which was previously only capable of power generation, through technological development.

The heat recovery module equipment used in this project will be produced and installed through collaboration with domestic small and medium-sized enterprises based on SK ecoplant's abundant plant business experience and technological capabilities.

An SK ecoplant official said, “The SOFC, which boasts world-class power generation efficiency, has become capable of heat supply through technological advancement,” adding, “We will further advance the heat supply-type SOFC solution in cooperation with Bloom Energy and seek to enter overseas combined heat and power generation markets such as Southeast Asia, in addition to existing eco-friendly distributed power generation.”