Bloom Energy, SK ecoplant to Deploy Electrolyzers for Hydrogen Demonstration

Bloom Energy and SK ecoplant have agreed to terms on the sale of Bloom’s solid oxide electrolyzer technology to utilize hydrogen as a fuel source in a large-scale green hydrogen demonstration. The demonstration will be conducted by Korean Southern Power (KOSPO) and the local government.

This demonstration, scheduled for operation in 2025, includes 1.8 MW of Bloom’s solid oxide electrolyzers (SOEC) for the development of green hydrogen as transport fuel on Jeju Island, South Korea. SK and Bloom plan to combine the electrolyzer technology and engineered infrastructure to produce transport-ready hydrogen fuel. Jeju Island is a large market for renewable energy projects.

“The extension of our partnership with SK ecoplant to include this deployment of Bloom’s SOEC is a logical step to show the efficiency of our electrolyzers compared to other technologies in the South Korean market,” said KR Sridhar, founder and chairman, CEO of Bloom Energy. “South Korea has been a leader in policies enabling clean hydrogen, and the efficiency and flexibility of Bloom’s SOEC will demonstrate our commitment to the lowest cost green hydrogen for South Korea.”

The Bloom electrolyzer has been selected for the demonstration due to its high electrical efficiency, allowing KOSPO and additional partners to achieve increased efficiency results. Hydrogen produced from this project will be used to advance Jeju Island’s objective to convert vehicles and power generation to renewable sources by 2030.

The collaboration will build and operate 12.5 MW-scale hydrogen production facilities with the integration of solid oxide electrolyzer technology. Bloom, SK, and participating entities aim to produce green hydrogen, secure economic viability in distribution, and establish a network for commercialization. Since the beginning of the partnership, Bloom and SK have deployed 400 MW of solid oxide fuel cells and electrolyzers.

“The results of this demonstration project will be crucial for SK to advance in the electrolysis market and pursue green hydrogen development projects domestically and internationally using Bloom's solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC),” said Kyung-il Park, CEO of SK ecoplant. “This participation exemplifies a strategic collaboration between SK and Bloom, expanding the scope of cooperation from power generation (fuel cell) to global green hydrogen development projects, further strengthening the strategic partnership between the two companies."