It has been agreed that Alleima will provide a critical component for the mass production of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Once complete, this critical component will be provided to South Korea’s Doosan Fuel Cell.

This company, Doosan Fuel Cell, is an energy giant within Korea and is well-known as a leading global player, when it comes to hydrogen energy. Currently, the company is aiming to make its fuel cells suitable for both maritime and stationary applications. Due to this aim, it has been arranged that mass production of SOFC will commence in 2025 and this will take place in Korea, within a new production plant. To make this next step in the project possible, Alleima will provide Sanergy™ HT pre-coated material, which will be used for the interconnects. This is an important part of the project, because this material will become a key component in the stationary fuel cell.

Alleima is a leading manufacturer for high value-added products in advanced stainless steels and special alloys. Now the company has received an order from Doosan Fuel Cell, which requests that Alleima supplies their Sanergy™ HT pre-coated material for interconnects. This high-temperature pre-coating material will be provided to Doosan because it will work in a complimentary fashion to the SOFC fuel cell, especially when it comes to working at the required high temperatures, which are necessary for the technology’s high efficiency. It has been requested that this order be delivered in time for the upcoming mass production of fuel cell stacks. This order will last for two years and the planned deliveries will be due to start by the first quarter of 2025. It has been made clear that the total value of the order value comes to SEK 160 million.

The equipment of interest throughout this project, is a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), which is a system that converts the energy of hydrogen fuel into electrical power. This kind of fuel cell operates at high temperatures between 500-700 °C. This high temperature also allows it to be highly efficient and this high efficiency has caused it to gain an increase in interest as a significant and important enabler, when it comes to the shift to a sustainable energy system. So far, the equipment has been building a portfolio of use, with activities such as, ‘providing primary and backup electrical power for data centers and buildings’ another project involved, ‘serving as an auxiliary power supply on ships to support maritime transport’s efforts to reduce CO2 emissions.’ Now that Doosan Fuel Cell has been placed at the forefront of this technology, the company aims to begin commercial production of SOFC in 2025.

Currently the project is under a SEK 160m deal and the deliveries to Doosan will start in Q1 2025 and these will continue for two years. It was back in 2020 when Doosan revealed their plans to build a 500MW mass-manufacturing facility, which would be based in South Korea.

EVP and Head of Strategy, at Alleima, Mikael Blazquez, commented, “We are pleased that Alleima has been given the opportunity to supply pre-coated material for use in interconnects with our unique mass production technique. Alleima provides material for a key component in the fuel cell industry, an end-market that aligns well with our growth strategy. We will through our innovations contribute and play an important role in the transition to more sustainable energy.”

Global Chief Procurement Officer, DOOSAN Fuel Cell, added, “We are delighted with Alleima, which is based on leading materials technology, and sustainable accompany for accelerating a decarbonized future.”

General Manager for Surface Technology at Alleima, Henrik Fintling, mentioned, “This order is important for the Surface Technology business unit at Alleima as it shows that we are a reliable and long-term key partner for Doosan Fuel Cell on their journey into a fossil free energy system. It feels great to be an enabler in the green transition with this new design of SOFC technology.”