[Air Quality UP, On Site] Creating 'Noksaek Jeongi' and Purifying Air... True Eco-Friendly Power Generation

Southern Power Shin Incheon Bitdream Headquarters... 80MW Hydrogen Fuel Cell Operation
Power Supply to 250,000 Households... Air Purification for 970,000 People
Lowest Carbon Emissions Among Power Sources... Zero Air Pollutants
Accelerating Green Hydrogen Technology Development... Production Facility to be Established in Jeju in 2024

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Lee Jun-hyung] The Korea Southern Power Shin-Incheon Bitdream Headquarters, located in Seo-gu, Incheon, has been producing 700GWh of 'green electricity' annually since October last year, supplying it to 250,000 households in the metropolitan area. This is thanks to the hydrogen fuel cell power plant complex built by Southern Power with an investment of about 340 billion KRW from 2017 to last year. The facility capacity is 80MW, making it the largest single hydrogen fuel cell power plant complex in the world. It can also produce 450,000 Gcal of heat annually, supplying hot water to 44,000 households in the Cheongna area of Incheon.

The Shin-Incheon Bitdream hydrogen fuel cell complex is Southern Power's first fuel cell project. Using hydrogen, an eco-friendly energy source, the carbon dioxide emitted per 1kWh of electricity produced is only 261g. This is more than 100g less than the average carbon emissions (389g) of liquefied natural gas (LNG) power plants, which are classified as eco-friendly power generation. Compared to the average carbon emission factor of the domestic power grid (459g), it is nearly 200g lower.

Giant Air Purifier... 75% Localization Rate

The advantages of hydrogen fuel cells do not end there. The fuel cell power generation method significantly reduces carbon emissions and does not emit nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur oxides (SOx), or particulate matter, which are causes of fine dust. It purifies the air during the power generation process, acting as a giant air purifier. In fact, the Shin-Incheon Bitdream hydrogen fuel cell purifies air equivalent to what about 970,000 people breathe daily.

The localization rate of the equipment has been raised to 75%. Except for the 20MW first-phase facility, the Shin-Incheon Bitdream hydrogen fuel cell complex uses fuel cells from Doosan Fuel Cell. The 60MW second to fourth-phase facilities apply fuel cells developed by Doosan Fuel Cell and domestic partner companies, achieving a localization rate of about 98%.

Southern Power is also building a hydrogen fuel cell complex at the Yeongwol Bitdream Headquarters located in Yeongwol, Gangwon Province. The complex completed construction of the 15MW first-phase facility on the 18th and has begun full operation. It produces 122GWh of electricity annually, supplying about 53,000 households in the Gangwon region. Southern Power plans to build a 15MW second-phase facility within the year, securing a total of 30MW of hydrogen fuel cell capacity at the Yeongwol Bitdream Headquarters.

President Lee Seung-woo attending the completion ceremony of the Shin-Incheon Bitdream hydrogen fuel complex of Korea Southern Power in October last year. [Photo by Korea Southern Power]

Eco-friendly Hydrogen R&D... Green Hydrogen Production in Jeju from 2025

Technology development for mass production of eco-friendly hydrogen is also accelerating. Earlier, Southern Power formed a consortium with 13 organizations including Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and the Korea Energy Agency, and began developing green hydrogen production technology in April. Green hydrogen is produced by splitting water using electricity generated from renewable energy such as solar power. It is considered the most eco-friendly hydrogen production method with carbon emissions close to 'zero.' A Southern Power official explained, "We plan to complete technology development by March 2026 and proceed with commercialization by 2046," adding, "A total of 62.2 billion KRW will be invested in research, including 29.9 billion KRW in government support and 32.3 billion KRW from the private sector."

The Southern Power consortium will also build green hydrogen production facilities in Jeju in 2024. Using these facilities, they plan to produce 1,200 tons of green hydrogen annually starting in 2025. The hydrogen produced at the Jeju green hydrogen facility will be supplied to mobility charging stations within Jeju, as well as Southern Power's Namjeju Bitdream Headquarters and Hallim Bitdream Power Plant.

Southern Power intends to increase hydrogen power generation capacity to 1.7GW by 2030. Additionally, Southern Power is discussing plans with Busan City to establish a hydrogen receiving base at the New Busan Port as part of strengthening hydrogen infrastructure.

Ham Hyung-bong, head of Southern Power's Hydrogen Convergence Division, said, "We will establish a full-cycle ecosystem from hydrogen production to utilization to position hydrogen as a main energy source by 2030," adding, "In the long term, through large-scale green hydrogen production, we will lead energy transition by increasing not only fuel cells but also hydrogen co-firing and full combustion power generation."