South Korea: Incheon, South Korea’s western port city, has opened the world’s largest hydrogen fuel cell power plant, capable of supplying electricity to 250,000 houses each year. The 78.96-megawatt power station exemplifies efforts to hasten the adoption of renewable energy sources. Because they can create electricity without emitting hazardous emissions, hydrogen fuel cells are becoming increasingly attractive as solutions for environmentally friendly power plants.
On October 26th, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the Korean Southern Power’s (KOSPO) regional complex in Incheon to commemorate the completion of a power plant using fuel cell generators supplied by POSCO Energy and Doosan Fuel Cell. Approximately 340 billion won ($292 million) was spent on the project. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, this is the world’s largest hydrogen fuel cell power plant currently in operation, and it can purify fine dust emitted by a nearby KOSPO-run LNG thermal power plant.
It would also generate hot water for heating, which would be used by about 44,000 houses. From 2023, SK E&S, an energy subsidiary of SK Group, plans to develop a plant capable of producing 30,000 tonnes of liquefied hydrogen per year in the same region. South Korea is steadily switching to clean energy to lessen its reliance on fossil fuels. Hwaseong City, 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) southwest of Seoul, partnered with Korea Western Power in March to construct an 80-megawatt hydrogen fuel cell power plant by 2024.