Press Release

Doosan Group is integrating its hydrogen fuel cell development capabilities into one entity.

Doosan Group announced on September 30 that it established Doosan H2 Innovation, a company specializing in the research and development (R&D) of hydrogen fuel cells. With the new company, Doosan Group aims to maximize the synergy of its hydrogen fuel cell technology development and to improve the hydrogen fuel cell R&D system dispersed across affiliates such as Doosan Corporation and Doosan Fuel Cell.

The new company will play a central role in the development of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC). Doosan H2 Innovation will lead the development of Korean-style SOFC by leveraging Doosan Fuel Cell America’s (DFCA) core phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) technology and build a close cooperative system with the R&D teams of Doosan Fuel Cell and DFCA. “We expect that integration of our R&D capabilities will enable fast and effective design-making in the early stages of technology and product development,” said a Doosan Group official.

Doosan Fuel Cell, which owns the SOFC production, system sales and business license, will focus on technology development and business diversification for mass production of the SOFC system and cell stacks, which are key components. The SOFC system can be applied not only to power plants but also to diverse areas including fuel cells for vessel propulsion. When the development of the Korean-style SOFC system is completed, Doosan Fuel Cell will play a pivotal role across the entire value chain, from manufacturing to technology improvement, additional business model development, and sales activities. To this end, Doosan Fuel Cell will build a new production line to manufacture SOFC starting in 2024.

The Korean-style SOFC, which is being developed by Doosan Group, has higher power efficiency than the existing fuel cell types. It can also operate at a relatively lower temperature of 620°C than the existing SOFC technology, which operates at a temperature of 750°C or higher. Its life expectancy is also expected to improve.

“To strengthen the competitiveness of the group’s hydrogen business, we recently reorganized our hydrogen-related technology development capabilities dispersed across affiliates. As part of this effort, an R&D company was established for the early development of SOFC technology," said a Doosan Group official. "We will develop hydrogen as a key growth engine for the group through fast and effective technology development."

According to global consulting firm Deloitte, the global hydrogen economy market is forecast to reach about KRW 3,000 trillion by 2050, and the market utilizing hydrogen, which is Doosan Group’s main target, is expected to reach KRW 1,104 trillion.

▲ Doosan Fuel Cell's product photo: Doosan Fuel Cell's hydrogen fuel cell product for power generation, which is currently available on the market. Fuel cells are an eco-friendly energy system that generates electricity and heat through electrochemical reactions between hydrogen and oxygen.