Elcogen provides electrolysis tech for nuclear hydrogen in Korea

Elcogen, an Estonian-based leading European solid oxide fuel and electrolysis cell manufacturer, has entered into an agreement with Uljin-County and Next Energy Corporation to supply solid oxide electrolyser technology for a large-scale nuclear hydrogen production complex in Uljin-County, Korea.

Elcogen will construct a 200 MW solid oxide electrolysis cell and stack factory in Uljin-County under the terms of the memorandum of understanding (MOU). The electrolysis cell and stack factory are expected to cost around 75 MEUR.

Elcogen’s electrolysis cells and stacks will be integrated into the Uljin Nuclear Hydrogen Production Complex, which is located near Korea’s largest nuclear power plant, the Hanul Nuclear Power Plant. By utilizing waste heat from nuclear power plants, solid oxide electrolysis technology enables mass production of hydrogen at the lowest cost compared to other hydrogen technologies. The nuclear hydrogen production complex will help Korea achieve its ambitious energy transition policy.

Uljin-County signed an agreement earlier this year with several organizations, including Korea’s Atomic Energy Research Institute, Hyundai Engineering, and Pohang Institute of Industrial Sciences, to build a large-scale hydrogen production complex powered by nuclear energy.

Elcogen’s world-leading solid oxide cell technology is widely regarded as one of the most innovative solutions to the global challenge of finding reliable alternative fuel sources, and it will play a critical role in hydrogen production at this plant.

Enn Õunpuu, founder and CEO of Elcogen, commented: “The signing of an MOU with Uljin-County and Next Energy further endorses and demonstrates the confidence in our technology to deliver large-scale hydrogen production. The emergence of hydrogen as a means to produce clean energy aligns closely with Elcogen’s mission – to enable efficient and emission-free distributed power generation and hydrogen production for a cleaner future. We are very proud that Uljin-County and Next Energy have selected Elcogen to supply the hydrogen-producing technology for the complex and we look forward to working with them in delivering this project.”