Bloom Energy Corporation (NYSE: BE) announced that it will be providing its world-renowned solid oxide electrolyzers (SOEC) to the Nujio’qonik project, a groundbreaking $4.5 billion intercontinental green hydrogen commercialization effort in Canada. The project, led by Canada-based World Energy GH2, will produce green hydrogen and green ammonia in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, in eastern Canada, by 2025 and 2026, respectively.
“Nujio’qonik,” or “where the sand blows” in the native Mi’kmaw language of Newfoundland, refers to the powerful winds that batter the island throughout the year. This natural resource presents a unique opportunity for wind-based power generation. Specifically, the project will utilize the island’s ideal meteorological conditions to generate electricity that will then be utilized to produce green hydrogen — with zero carbon emissions.
The Nujio’qonik project will utilize a combination of two electrolyzer technologies, SOEC and PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane), to use the electricity from wind to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Bloom Energy will be providing the SOEC technology, and, as the Bloom Electrolyzer™ operates at temperatures of approximately 700℃, it requires less electricity to produce the needed hydrogen.
The green hydrogen from the electrolyzers will be further processed to generate green ammonia (NH₃). Ammonia, which is created by combining three atoms of hydrogen with one atom of nitrogen, provides an effective method for storing and transporting hydrogen. Clean ammonia can also be used as a fuel for maritime or stationary power generation, or in the classic application for ammonia and its derivatives, fertilizer which supports approximately half of human life on earth. SK ecoplant will design a facility which recycles heat created during the ammonia synthesis process into low-grade steam which will be fed to the Bloom Energy SOECs to further reduce the energy needed to generate hydrogen at Nujio’qonik. The result is an improved yield of hydrogen and ammonia from a given amount of renewable power.
The green ammonia produced at Nujio’qonik will be exported to Europe and other continents as part of the project, which represents a significant step forward in the development of a global green hydrogen and green ammonia market ecosystem.
The project, which was announced during Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent state visit to South Korea, represents not only a historic milestone for international cooperation around clean energy initiatives, but also a pivotal moment for the global commercialization of hydrogen.
“The deployment of Bloom Energy’s efficient, high temperature electrolysis in the Nujio’qonik project reinforces the market readiness of Bloom’s Electrolyzer™, of which we can supply well over 2 GW per year from our existing facilities,” said Rick Beuttel, Bloom Energy’s Vice President of Hydrogen Business. “Further, it reinforces the reality that Bloom’s Electrolyzer™ produces the lowest cost green hydrogen when paired with customer processes which give off excess heat, like ammonia, methanol and the synthesis of renewable fuels. We look forward to continued growth with World Energy and SK ecoplant and additional opportunities in this space, together with industrial decarbonization of high-temperature processes like steelmaking, glass, cement and other processes.”
Bloom Energy looks forward to continuing to seek innovative applications of its products, reducing emissions and opening the doors to the future of clean hydrogen production around the globe.
