SK Group to invest $16.4B to create hydrogen production-distribution-consumption ecosystem by 2025
05 March 2021
Korea-based SK Group will invest about 18 trillion won (US$16.4 billion) over the next five years to create a domestic hydrogen ecosystem—production, distribution, and consumption—through creation of domestic hydrogen infrastructure and also through partnerships with global companies.
In the first phase, SK E&S, SK Group’s hydrogen business promotion company, will invest about 500 billion won (US$446 million) to build a liquefied hydrogen (LH2) production plant with a production capacity of 30,000 tonnes of liquefied hydrogen. For this purpose, SK will use a site in the SK Incheon Petrochemical Complex in Wonchang-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon.
The LH2 plant will take byproduct gaseous hydrogen supplied from SK Incheon Petrochemical, purify it, process it into a liquid, and supply it to the metropolitan Incheon area. The first phase project is thus also one of the pillars of the Incheon city hydrogen cluster construction project. It is expected to become an important foundation for the expansion of hydrogen infrastructure at Incheon International Airport, Incheon Port, and industrial complexes.
In the second phase, SK will invest 5.3 trillion won (US$4.7 billion) by 2025 in a hydrogen production plant. The plant will produce 250,000 tons of hydrogen from liquefied natural gas while removing 250,000 tons of carbon dioxide through carbon capture and treatment technology.
Combined with the Phase 1 project, SK plans to produce and supply a total of 280,000 tons of eco-friendly hydrogen annually in Korea, and use these business experiences and capabilities to fully promote hydrogen business in Asia, including China and Vietnam.
In addition to supplying liquefied hydrogen, SK plans to make active investments in establishing a distribution system for eco-friendly hydrogen.
SK will operate 100 hydrogen charging stations nationwide by 2025 to supply 80,000 tons of liquefied hydrogen per year.
As part of this, SK is also discussing ways to cooperate in various fields to energize the hydrogen economy, such as establishing a liquefied hydrogen fueling station, expanding the introduction of hydrogen vehicles, and building a hydrogen experience center.
According to the battery only crowd here SK know nothing, and are haphazardly throwing away $16 billion without any due diligence to make sure it will work.
If only we all had battery enthusiast's absolute certainty.
Posted by: Davemart | 05 March 2021 at 07:40 AM
I have just come across this from Topsoe, the build of a commercial scale 500MW SOEC power to hydrogen facility:
https://fuelcellsworks.com/news/
More details here:
https://blog.topsoe.com/article-in-science-solid-oxide-electrolysis-cell-technology-to-unlock-the-full-potential-of-renewable-power
And a technical paper:
http://www.helmeth.eu/index.php/technologies/high-temperature-electrolysis-cell-soec
With an efficiency of 90% power to gas, this blows away claims of huge losses in storage.
Of course, for many applications although by no means all - think cement and steel production, the hydrogen would have to be converted back to electricity.
SOEC's may be able to do that job, but even without efficiencies of other fuel cells are pretty good.
No one is trying to rule out batteries, as many of their advocates seek to do for fuel cells, just to use them where they are sensible instead of universally.
Posted by: Davemart | 05 March 2021 at 08:17 AM
SOEC/SOFC can be a big part in energy for road and aviation.
Posted by: SJC | 05 March 2021 at 08:26 AM
From this article it is stated that they are removing one ton of CO2 for each ton of H2.
However wikipedia states that for producing H2 by steam reforming of LNG ,which is what is happening here (because it is cheapest), between 9 and12 tons of CO2 is produced for each ton of H2 (depending on quality of feedstock).
Nothing green going on here.
It would simpler ,cheaper and cleaner to take the CH4 ,compress it and run it through an ICE. Say like the NissanEpower unit.
Posted by: bman | 05 March 2021 at 12:07 PM
LOL, Korea has only 5% of its energy from renewables. Where is all that non fossil electricity going to come from to make hydrogen
Posted by: dursun | 05 March 2021 at 12:19 PM
through carbon capture
Carbon fiber body panels.
Posted by: SJC | 05 March 2021 at 07:31 PM
My initial quite lengthy post got wiped when I tried to post it, so here is a brief summary.
As the article says:
' The LH2 plant will take byproduct gaseous hydrogen supplied from SK Incheon Petrochemical, purify it, process it into a liquid, and supply it to the metropolitan Incheon area'
This by-product hydrogen from industrial processes is currently often simply flared.
From memory although the links are long dead, South Korea reckon that their industry produces enough hydrogen from this current wasted resource to power the first 500,000 FCEVs.
Otherwise they intend to import a lot of hydrogen, with Australia a prominent supplier, using various green technologies including renewables to hydrogen and carbon capture, see other articles here and elsewhere.
I don't understand what they are talking about on converting LNG to hydrogen whilst only capturing 1 ton of CO2 per ton of hydrogen, as AFAIK that releases way more than that.
Posted by: Davemart | 06 March 2021 at 02:22 AM
They capture the rest.
Posted by: SJC | 06 March 2021 at 12:02 PM