SK E&S Explores Business Opportunities at the Largest Hydrogen Industry Event in the US

Discussion on Hydrogen Business Cooperation with US Government and Companies
Commercial Operation of Incheon Liquefied Hydrogen Plant by Year-End

[Asia Economy Reporter Oh Hyung-gil] SK E&S introduced its hydrogen value chain construction plan and discussed cooperation measures with global hydrogen companies at the largest hydrogen industry event in North America.

Dan Hee-su, Vice President of SK E&S (third from the left), is taking a commemorative photo with Moon Jae-do, Chairman of the Hydrogen Convergence Alliance (H2KOREA), and Lee Ok-heon, Director of Hydrogen Economy Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, at the 'Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Seminar' held in California, USA, on the 7th (local time).

SK E&S announced on the 10th that it participated in the 'Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Seminar (HFCS)' held from the 7th to the 9th (local time) at the Long Beach Convention Center in California, USA. This seminar is the largest hydrogen industry-related event in North America, hosted by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA) and supported by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Korea was designated as the 'Guest of Honor' for the first time this year, operating a dedicated promotional pavilion and holding guest of honor representative sessions. SK E&S attended the Korea-U.S. Hydrogen Economy Roundtable jointly hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of Commerce, where it introduced the current status and plans for business cooperation with global hydrogen companies.

SK E&S stated that it is promoting joint entry into the Korean and Asian hydrogen markets through a partnership with Plug Power, a leading U.S. hydrogen industry company. Through the joint venture 'SK Plug Hyverse,' established last year, it plans to build a gigafactory in Incheon to supply core hydrogen equipment such as fuel cells and electrolyzers to the domestic and Asian markets. Additionally, it is collaborating in research on blue-green hydrogen production technology with Monolith Materials, a leading U.S. company in the turquoise hydrogen sector.

In particular, SK E&S is pursuing a two-phase strategy to establish a hydrogen ecosystem domestically. It plans to start production by the end of this year by constructing a liquefied hydrogen plant in Incheon with an annual capacity of up to 30,000 tons. It will also build a blue hydrogen production base with an annual capacity of 250,000 tons in Boryeong, Chungnam.

An SK E&S official said, "In preparation for the upcoming hydrogen economy era, we are strengthening strategic cooperation with leading U.S. hydrogen companies such as Plug Power and Monolith," adding, "We will strive to enhance the global competitiveness of the entire domestic hydrogen industry."