Jenbacher to power 100% hydrogen power plant

Hyosung Heavy Industries (Hyosung) has selected INNIO Jenbacher ‘Ready for Hydrogen’ engine technology for the first pilot power plant project in APAC that will be fueled by 100% hydrogen.

The pilot hydrogen power plant will be built at the Hyosung Chemical Yongyeon Plant in Ulsan, South Korea, setting a benchmark by becoming the first 100% hydrogen power plant to be operated in the region. It will run on hydrogen produced as a byproduct at the chemical plant that is normally sold off to an industrial gas company. The project is expected to achieve commercial operation in 3Q 2022 and complete the demonstration by end of 2022.

“INNIO has based its strategy on hydrogen becoming a driver of the energy transition, as it is uniquely positioned to shape a low- through no-carbon energy sector. INNIO launched its ‘Ready for Hydrogen’ portfolio to meet customers’ demands for sustainable solutions, such as at Hyosung, to establish hydrogen-based power generation. We are pleased to be their hydrogen engine technology partner of choice and to establish the first 100% hydrogen power plant in APAC,” said Olaf Berlien, president and CEO of INNIO. “We will continue our relentless focus to deliver INNIO technologies and services that will help our customers to reduce their carbon footprint down to zero.”

Hyosung is striving to improve its impact on climate change by embracing the global energy transition, said Park Jeong-Ha, general manager at Hyosung.

Park Jeong-Ha, general manager at Hyosung.

“We have joined forces with INNIO to support our efforts to reduce carbon emissions while exploring commercial and sustainable opportunities related with our hydrogen byproduct production,” said Park Jeong-Ha. “Our climate change response strategies have set the goal of reducing emissions and energy consumption while increasing energy efficiency. INNIO Jenbacher provides the efficient and proven technology that helps us meet this goal.”

The pilot power plant using INNIO Jenbacher technology, will be the second power plant in the 1-MW range that can be fueled with 100% hydrogen. INNIO is a hydrogen pioneer for more than 20 years, when the first Jenbacher 150-kW pilot engine ran on 100% hydrogen at a demonstration plant in northern Germany. Two decades later, in 2020, after a number of additional demonstration projects, INNIO and HanseWerk Natur demonstrated the world’s first hydrogen engine using variable hydrogen and natural gas mixtures up to 100% hydrogen on an INNIO Jenbacher engine. The collaboration with Hyosung now marks a further milestone for INNIO to help drive the energy transition.