Energy solutions company Hanwha Energy has completed its $212m hydrogen fuel cell power plant, located at the Daesan Industrial Complex in Seosan, South Korea.

Built by Hanwha Engineering & Construction, the plant is thought to be the largest industrial hydrogen fuel cell power plant globally, and the first to only use hydrogen recycled from petrochemical manufacturing.

The recycled hydrogen is supplied by the Hanwha Total Petrochemical plant located within the same Daesan Industrial Complex. Hanwha Total Petrochemical pumps the recycled hydrogen into the new power plant via underground pipes and feeds it directly into the fuel cells.

Electricity is then generated by an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen. The resulting byproduct of the fuel cells is only pure water, meaning that no greenhouse gases are emitted.

Once operational, the plant will showcase an annual production capacity of 50MW and the ability to generate up to 400,000 MWh of electricity per year, the equivalent of powering 160,000 houses.

Commenting on the completion, In-Sub Jung, Hanwha Energy CEO, said, “With the completion of this plant, we will help the government establish a roadmap to a hydrogen economy whole boosting the local economy.”

The construction of the hydrogen fuel cell power plant is part of Hanwha Energy’s effort to diversify its business. The company is expanding beyond conventional power generation and solar power by investing in the hydrogen economy.