Data centers, distributed power, vehicle and maritime applications – Korea remains committed to fuel cells

Harry, how did Korea achieve this position as a technology and market driver for fuel cells and hydrogen?

“It actually started already in the late 1990s following the financial crises. Importing almost all of our energy, Korea was, and is, very exposed to fuel price volatility and geopolitical uncertainty. The country concluded that we must lead in energy technologies that reduce dependencies and create export industries. Fuel cells was an attractive technology with high efficiency, allowing distributed generation, and the possibility of reducing carbon footprints. But also, the conclusion that LNG, which Korea is importing in large scale, can be used in fuel cells, directly or reformed to hydrogen in different applications.

This resulted in fuel cell technology being classified as a national strategic technology initiating massive public R&D funding and long-term programs. Korea’s industrial structure with large conglomerates has made this decade-long national initiative possible.”

We’re at the beginning of 2026, where does Korea stand today?

“Korea remains one of the most active and committed countries in hydrogen and fuel cells, even though challenges remain scaling the market economically. Government backing continues and large companies remain committed.

Recently, stationary applications for data centers, distributed power and maritime applications have emerged in importance, most often based on solid-oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology.”

Tell us about SOFC activities in Korea

“One of the leaders is Doosan Fuel Cell that has been actively developing SOFC technology as part of its strategy to move beyond its traditional phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) portfolio. The company licenses its core SOFC technology, a metal-supported SOFC design, from Ceres Power (UK). This partnership underpins Doosan’s ability to manufacture and commercialize advanced SOFC stacks and systems.

In July 2025, Doosan commenced mass production of SOFC stacks and power systems at its dedicated factory in Jeollabuk-do. This facility has an annual SOFC production capacity of approximately 50 MW, targeting major global markets especially for data centers, distributed power, and maritime applications. 50 MW corresponds to powering 50,000 homes, or 2-5 large scale data centers.

There are several other companies involved in SOFC in Korea. One such company is HD Hydrogen, a subsidiary under HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) focused on hydrogen fuel cell systems, including SOFC technologies for power generation and maritime applications. KSOE has also acquired a controlling stake in Convion, a European SOFC/SOEC developer, to bring advanced SOFC/solid oxide electrolyzer technology into Korea.”

What about mobility applications?

“There are about 300 hydrogen refueling stations in Korea, which makes us the second most developed market globally for hydrogen mobility infrastructure after China.

Hyundai Motor has been, and continues to be, the main industrial driver for fuel cell technology in Korea and one of the major drivers globally. Last year the company launched its new generation Hyundai NEXO fuel cell-electric SUV, with increased performance and efficiency, and a driving range of more than 800 km.

HTWO (H-Two), which was introduced in 2020 as Hyundai’s fuel cell brand, is today the company’s brand and business platform for all hydrogen related activities. Hyundai is diversifying its offering into the full span of the hydrogen chain, including hydrogen production, storage & transport, all types of mobility fuel cell systems (passenger cars, trucks, buses, ships and trains), stationary power generation, and hydrogen infrastructure.”