SK Ecoplant to supply fuel cells to Irish data centers

SK Ecoplant Co., a South Korean construction engineering and waste management firm, plans to provide solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) to Irish power generation and green energy company Lumcloon Energy. 

According to SK Ecoplant on Monday, it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Lumcloon Energy for a building new data center in Ireland and supplying SOFC on Nov. 2. Ireland is known as a data center hub for global tech firms.

The company is seeking to broaden its business reach by delving into the Irish renewable energy sector.

High-profile attendees at the Seoul headquarters signing included SK Ecoplant's President Park Kyung-il and Lumcloon CEO Nigel Reams, alongside notable Irish government officials like Simon Coveney, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, and Leo Clancy, CEO of Enterprise Ireland.

The partnership is poised to deploy fuel cells as an energy source for a nascent data center in Castlelost, 80 km west of Dublin, poised to be the first of its kind in Europe reliant on fuel cell technology. Minister Coveney lauded the initiative as a benchmark for future data centers marrying cutting-edge tech with sustainable practices.

Ireland's competitive electricity and corporate tax rates, coupled with a conducive cool climate for data centers, have positioned Dublin as a prime hub, already housing over 60 data centers, including facilities owned by tech giants Google, Amazon, and Meta.

Despite the attractive conditions, the challenge of meeting the significant electricity demands for new data centers persists, necessitating dependable and efficient power solutions for continuous operation.

In response to environmental goals, the Irish government's commitment to a 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 casts fuel cells in a strategic role, offering a reliable alternative to fossil fuels and championing them as a compact, high-efficiency urban power solution.

SK Ecoplant is set to undertake a comprehensive role in this pioneering project, extending its scope from construction to business development, stakeholder investment, financing, and the full spectrum of fuel cell EPC.

With an established value chain in renewable energies such as solar, offshore wind, green hydrogen, and fuel cells, SK Ecoplant is poised for further collaborations to support Ireland's ambition of sourcing 80% of its power from renewables by the end of the decade.

Write to In-Hyuk Lee at twopeople@hankyung.com