Hydrogen production to track renewable power fluctuations... Jeju National University and KHNP to build demonstration center

【Financial News, Jeju — Jeong Yong-bok】 A research facility for efficiently operating hydrogen production equipment in response to changes in wind and solar power generation and electricity demand will be established at Jeju National University. The university and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP) are building a demonstration base for green hydrogen production technology, with completion targeted for March 2028.
Jeju National University said on the 12th that it had signed an agreement on donation and transfer with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. (KHNP) on the 11th at the university’s Industry-Academia Cooperation Building to establish the Jeju National University-KHNP Green Hydrogen Technology Innovation Center.
Under the agreement, Jeju National University will provide land at its Ara Campus, while KHNP will build research and demonstration facilities. The two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding in January to commercialize green hydrogen technology and have been conducting joint research since March.
The center will occupy a site of about 1,500 sq. m. It will include an integrated control building with two above-ground floors and a total floor area of 615 sq. m, as well as a one-story laboratory with a floor area of 64 sq. m. The plan is to complete the design this December, begin civil engineering work next March and finish construction in March 2028.
The core research project is “forecast-based operating technology for water electrolysis under variable conditions.” Water electrolysis is a technology that uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Using electricity generated from renewable sources such as solar and wind power can produce green hydrogen with lower carbon emissions than hydrogen produced using fossil fuels.
The challenge is that renewable energy output varies with the weather and time of day. When the power supply is irregular, it becomes difficult to operate water electrolysis facilities stably and efficiently.
Jeju Province has long faced the problem of “power curtailment”—limiting generation to stabilize the grid when renewable energy output exceeds electricity demand. This creates a need for technology that can use surplus electricity to produce hydrogen and operate facilities in response to changes in electricity supply and demand.
The new center will develop optimal operating algorithms and integrated control technology that can forecast renewable energy output and electricity demand while operating multiple water electrolysis facilities together, and adjust electricity use at each facility.
Unlike green hydrogen production and storage demonstrations carried out by local organizations including Jeju Energy Corporation (JEC), this center will focus on verifying the operating efficiency and control technology of multiple water electrolysis facilities. The research findings could later be applied to improve the economics of green hydrogen production facilities and expand the use of renewable energy.
KHNP plans to use the center as a demonstration hub for its ongoing research projects on green hydrogen production technology. Jeju National University will expand efforts to link the technologies to commercialization through joint research, technology exchanges and the training of specialized personnel.
“Building infrastructure to test developed technologies in real-world settings is extremely important,” said Gong Yeong-gon, head of KHNP’s hydrogen convergence division. “We will expand industry-academia collaboration with Jeju National University through joint research, technology exchanges and workforce training, and continue to improve the maturity of green hydrogen production technology.”


[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter