SK Innovation E&S and Deokyang Energen signed a memorandum of understanding on September 2 to build combined gaseous and liquefied hydrogen refuelling stations at five sites in South Korea, with each station costing around 6 billion won [$4.17 million] and designed to supply approximately 180 tonnes of gaseous hydrogen per year.

SK Innovation E&S and Deokyang Energen signed the MOU at SK Green Campus in Jongno, Seoul on September 2. The agreement covers cooperation on gaseous hydrogen supply and the development of combined hydrogen refuelling stations — sites that dispense both gaseous and liquefied hydrogen.

Deokyang Energen will build gaseous hydrogen refuelling facilities at sites near SK Innovation E&S's existing liquefied hydrogen stations and supply the gaseous hydrogen. SK Innovation E&S will develop commercial vehicle demand — including hydrogen buses — and handle construction and operation of the combined stations.

The two companies will start by assessing five locations, selected by business feasibility and regional hydrogen demand. Each station is expected to cost around 6 billion won [$4.17 million] and supply around 180 tonnes of gaseous hydrogen per year.

Deokyang Energen's existing customer base is in industrial applications — refineries and petrochemical plants. The MOU is its first formal move into mobility hydrogen. The company plans to fund part of the refuelling station investment from its IPO proceeds.

SK Innovation E&S completed a 30,000-tonne-per-year liquefied hydrogen plant in Incheon in May 2024. The gaseous hydrogen supply from Deokyang Energen will diversify its refuelling station supply chain alongside the existing liquefied hydrogen infrastructure.

Kim Ki-chul, chief executive of Deokyang Energen, said: "The significance of this partnership is that it creates new hydrogen demand by combining the capabilities of Deokyang Energen and SK Innovation E&S. We will expand our industrial-focused hydrogen supply base into mobility and, drawing on both companies' strengths, build a stable and competitive hydrogen supply system."

Jeon Young-jun, head of the new energy business division at SK Innovation E&S, said: "For the hydrogen mobility market to keep growing, it is important to have the foundation to supply competitive hydrogen reliably. Based on a stable supply base spanning both liquefied and gaseous hydrogen, we will expand hydrogen mobility demand and contribute to building a sustainable hydrogen ecosystem."

Source：FuelCellsWorks