SK eternix Co., Ltd. Brings 18.8 MW of Fuel Cell Capacity Online in Icheon and Paju; Expansion to 28 MW Planned for November

[Financial News] SK eternix Co., Ltd. has begun commercial operation of two fuel cell power plants in Icheon and Paju, Gyeonggi Province, with a combined capacity of 18.8 megawatts (MW). When another 9.2-MW plant in Paju comes online in November, the company will have a total of 28 MW of generating capacity. The total project cost is approximately 159.4 billion won, and the three plants are expected to generate 222 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually once all are operational. According to industry sources on the 20th, SK eternix Co., Ltd. began commercial operation the previous day at Icheon Eco Park (8.9 MW) and Paju Eco Park No. 1 (9.9 MW).
The project involves building fuel cell power plants at three sites—Icheon Eco Park and Paju Eco Park Nos. 1 and 2—to meet electricity demand in the Seoul metropolitan area. The facilities use solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) from US-based Bloom Energy.
When Paju Eco Park No. 2 (9.2 MW) begins commercial operation in November, the total generating capacity will increase to 28 MW.
The project was selected in the 2024 competitive tender for general hydrogen power generation. Since 2023, SK eternix Co., Ltd. has identified sites for the project with consideration of electricity demand from semiconductor clusters and artificial intelligence (AI) data centers, and has pursued permits, grid connections, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), and financial structuring.
Fuel cells can be installed near electricity demand centers, making them a distributed energy source that can reduce reliance on long-distance transmission networks. SK eternix Co., Ltd. plans to expand its fuel cell power generation business, particularly in the Seoul metropolitan area, and link it with solar and wind power, energy storage systems (ESS), direct power purchase agreements (PPAs), power brokerage and virtual power plant (VPP) businesses.
SK eternix Co., Ltd. CEO Kim Hae-jung said, "We will continue to expand distributed energy projects centered on demand centers and provide comprehensive energy solutions that combine renewable energy generation, energy storage systems and electricity trading."

[email protected] Kim Mi-hee Reporter