SK Eternix's "Icheon-Paju Fuel Cell Power Generation Project" Begins Commercial Operations

Aerial view of the Paju Eco Park 1 and 2 fuel cell power plants built by SK eternix. SK eternix

SK Eternix announced on October 20 that its Icheon-Paju fuel cell power generation project, launched to meet electricity demand in the Seoul metropolitan area, will begin commercial operations.

The project, with a total investment of approximately 159.4 billion won, involves building a cluster of distributed fuel cell power sources at three sites: Icheon Eco Park, Paju Eco Park No. 1, and Paju Eco Park No. 2. The main equipment uses Bloom Energy's solid oxide fuel cells (SOC).

The facilities, with a total capacity of 28 megawatts (MW), are expected to generate 222 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity annually. This is equivalent to the amount of electricity used by approximately 53,000 households in a year.

Icheon Eco Park (8.9 MW) and Paju Eco Park No. 1 (9.9 MW) began commercial operations on October 19, while Paju Eco Park No. 2 (9.2 MW) is scheduled to begin commercial operations in November 2026. If the schedule proceeds as planned, SK Eternix will have a cumulative operating capacity of 228 MW in fuel cell power generation by the end of 2026.

The project was pursued through the government's hydrogen power bidding market.

SK Eternix said that since 2023, it has identified sites in line with electricity demand from semiconductor clusters and artificial intelligence data centers (AIDCs), and handled the entire process, including permitting, grid connection, engineering, procurement and construction (EPC), and financial structuring. In 2024, all three projects were selected in the general hydrogen power competitive bidding process. In 2025, SK Eternix jointly invested with Inseong Co., Ltd. to establish Inseong Dream Eco Park Co., Ltd.

Fuel cells have the advantage of being able to respond quickly to electricity demand because they face few site restrictions and take less time to build. They can also reduce reliance on long-distance power transmission in industrial complexes and areas near urban centers.

SK Eternix said it plans to continue expanding its fuel cell-based distributed power business. Kim Haejung, CEO of SK Eternix, said, "The Icheon-Paju fuel cell power generation project is the result of combining SK Eternix's project execution capabilities with the significance of a locally produced and locally consumed business that takes into account growing electricity demand and grid conditions. We will continue to expand distributed power businesses centered on demand locations and provide customized, comprehensive energy solutions for customers by combining renewable energy generation and energy storage systems with electricity trading."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.