GS Engineering and Construction is laying the groundwork to enter the hydrogen business, which is drawing attention as next-generation eco-friendly energy.
GS Engineering and Construction said on the 24th that it signed a contract this month with Evoloh, a U.S. water electrolysis technology company, for the development of an "anion exchange membrane (AEM)–based water electrolysis plant package," and will start development work at the end of the month. An anion exchange membrane is a next-generation water electrolysis method that uses a polymer membrane delivering hydroxide ions (OH−) to electrolyze water and produce hydrogen, enabling production of high-purity hydrogen with low-cost catalysts.
Evoloh, which has formed a partnership with GS Engineering and Construction, possesses core technology for manufacturing water electrolysis stacks that produce hydrogen by electrolyzing water based on an anion exchange membrane. Because anion exchange membrane technology does not use costly materials required for hydrogen separation, it has superior price competitiveness compared with commercially available technologies, and by using this technology, stack fabrication and plant operation expense is expected to be significantly reduced in the future. Evoloh has completed pilot testing of megawatt (MW)-scale water electrolysis stacks and begun commercial production, demonstrating the feasibility of the technology.
GS Engineering and Construction expects to move a step closer to entering the eco-friendly energy business by developing a hydrogen production plant package of several hundred megawatts, with economic efficiency and safety, through its extensive domestic and overseas plant EPC execution capabilities and collaboration with Evoloh.
A GS Engineering and Construction official said, "By combining our EPC technology and experience, this is a turning point that expands our scope from the existing petrochemical-centered plant business to the eco-friendly energy business," adding, "We will lead the green business field by forming a value chain in the hydrogen market."