SK Energy partners with KHNP to build “energy super stations”

SK Energy, a subsidiary of SK Innovation’s petroleum business, will partner with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to build “energy super stations” in South Korea’s urban centers, leveraging SK Energy’s existing gasoline stations, but producing hydrogen onsite to directly charge electric vehicles.

SK Energy signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power on January 13 in Seoul, South Korea.

The two companies plan to utilise key customer contact points such as SK Energy service stations, LPG charging stations, and Netruck Houses, as well as idle national and public lands to build complex energy super stations. Energy Super Station, a concept that uses existing gasoline station sites to produce new and renewable energy and uses it for charging eco-friendly vehicles, is an alternative to improving power self-sufficiency through urban distributed generation, minimising transmission and distribution losses, and establishing a stable electric vehicle charging network.

SK Energy has been producing power by installing fuel cells at two SK gas stations in Seoul since last year after receiving a government-regulated sandbox demonstration exception. SK Bakmi Gas Station in Geumcheon-gu and SK Gaenari Gas Station in Yangcheon-gu have been using 300 kilowatt (kW) fuel cells to produce eco-friendly electricity since February and September 2022.

Based on this, SK Energy and KHNP plan to expand the construction of Seoul’s downtown energy super station, and also plan to discover new business opportunities by applying KHNP’s experience in renewable energy business technology to SK Energy’s major customer contact points.

In addition, SK Energy plans to carry out a project to build an on-site hydrogen filling station based on Trigen, a fuel cell system developed by Doosan Fuel Cell that can produce electricity, hydrogen, and heat simultaneously. 

“Through this cooperation, we will speed up the conversion of existing gas stations into energy super stations in preparation for the era of eco-friendly cars in the future, and realize net zero and distributed power generation by pioneering new energy industries. We will actively cooperate with KHNP to contribute to the revitalization,” said Jang Ho-jun, head of SK Energy’s S&P (Solution & Platform) Promotion Team.

“KHNP plans to utilise its experience and know-how in various new and renewable energy projects in order to spread energy superstations,” said Jang Pil-ho, head of KHNP’s Green Business.