Hyundai Motor, Dongseo Power, and Deokyang to develop hydrogen fuel cell power generation
Jointly develop the system and begin pilot operation
Power generation capable of supplying approximately 2,200 households


Hyundai Motor Company announced on the 20th that it will hold a virtual completion ceremony for the hydrogen fuel cell power generation system developed in collaboration with Korea East-West Power and Deokyang, and begin pilot operations.


In April 2019, the three companies signed an MOU for a hydrogen fuel cell power generation pilot project, discussing the construction and pilot project of a 1MW hydrogen fuel cell power generation system at the Ulsan Thermal Power Plant. With this completion ceremony as the starting point, the agreement will be finalized with a two-year pilot operation of the hydrogen fuel cell power generation system.

The 1MW hydrogen fuel cell power generation system developed by the three companies consists of two container modules capable of producing 500kW of power, and utilizes the vehicle fuel cell module of the Hyundai Nexo hydrogen electric vehicle for power generation.

The facility, which receives byproduct hydrogen produced at a petrochemical complex in the Ulsan area through a hydrogen pipeline network, has an annual production capacity of approximately 8,000 MWh, which is enough to supply electricity to approximately 2,200 households based on a monthly usage of 300 kWh. Since multiple Nexo hydrogen electric vehicle power modules are mounted in a container, the supply volume can be expanded to tens to hundreds of MW in the future depending on the number of containers.

Unlike existing fuel cell power generation systems, this facility utilizes Hyundai Motor Company's vehicle fuel cell technology, enabling efficient power supply by quickly adjusting electricity production in real time, and complementing the problem of power supply and demand volatility inherent in renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power.

In the past, most domestic fuel cells for power generation were based on foreign technology, resulting in high component replacement and maintenance costs. Through this pilot project, the three companies expected to increase the domestic production rate of components in the domestic fuel cell power generation market. Furthermore, they predicted that if the market expands in the future, it could contribute to lowering the prices of fuel cells for power generation and hydrogen vehicles.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Company announced plans to launch the hydrogen fuel cell brand 'HTWO' as part of its '2025 Strategy' and is expanding its global hydrogen fuel cell business and hydrogen ecosystem by setting a sales target of 700,000 hydrogen fuel cells by 2030.