Doosan to export hydrogen fuel cells to China

Doosan Fuel Cell’s fuel cells. [DOOSAN FUEL CELL]

Doosan Fuel Cell will start exporting hydrogen fuel cells for residential heating to China next month.

It will be the first hydrogen fuel cell exports since Doosan Group went into the business in 2014.

Hydrogen fuel cells use the chemical energy of hydrogen to produce electricity.

Under a $13 million deal with ZKRG Smart Energy Technology, Doosan Fuel Cell will install four 440 kilowatt hydrogen fuel cells in Nanhai District, Foshan City in China’s southern Guangdong province to supply electricity and heat to local apartments on Oct. 4.

The cells will be exported from its production factory in Iksan in North Jeolla.

The company also signed a long-term service agreement with ZKRG, a special purpose company established by a Chinese investment firm Oriental Valley for the fuel cell business.

Doosan Fuel Cell, 34.78 percent owned by Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, held a ceremony on Monday to celebrate the company’s first exports of hydrogen fuel cells.

The ceremony took place at the Iksan factory and was attended by Park Ki-young, a second vice minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the company's CEO Yoo Soo-kyung.

“The exports are the fruition of the government’s active support to foster a hydrogen ecosystem and cooperation with partners, including Destin Power that co-developed Power Conversion System, Hi Air Korea and J&L Tech,” said Yoo in a statement.

Yoo vowed to expand the hydrogen fuel cell market in China.

BY JIN MIN-JI [jin.minji@joongang.co.kr]