South Korea has opened the world's first large-scale ammonia decomposition fuel cell plant — the Ulsan Green Ammonia Power Complex — cracking green ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen on-site and feeding pure hydrogen into solid oxide fuel cells, generating 200 megawatts of clean electricity

South Korea has opened the world's first large-scale ammonia decomposition fuel cell plant — the Ulsan Green Ammonia Power Complex — cracking green ammonia into hydrogen and nitrogen on-site and feeding pure hydrogen into solid oxide fuel cells, generating 200 megawatts of clean electricity for Ulsan's petrochemical industrial zone with zero CO2, zero NOx, and zero particulate emissions.

The Ulsan complex receives green ammonia from South Korean offshore wind electrolysis at Jeju Island through a dedicated pipeline. On-site ruthenium catalyst decomposition reactors crack ammonia at 450 degrees Celsius into pure hydrogen and nitrogen gas — a reaction that is self-sustaining once the reactor reaches operating temperature. Pure hydrogen feeds Bloom Energy solid oxide fuel cells generating electricity at 65 percent electrical efficiency — the highest conversion efficiency of any large-scale power generation technology.

Ammonia is fundamentally easier to store, ship, and handle safely than compressed or liquefied hydrogen, using existing global ammonia trade infrastructure. The Ulsan demonstration proves green ammonia can serve as a practical hydrogen carrier for industrial power generation, establishing a template that Korea's Ministry of Trade Industry and Energy is replicating across 14 additional Korean industrial zones.

Source: Korea Midland Power KOMIPO, Bloom Energy South Korea, Korea Institute of Energy Research, 2025

#greenammonia #fuelcell #koreaenergy #cleanenergy #renewableenergy