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An overview of the SK Innovation exhibition pavilion at the World Climate Industry Expo (WCE) 2026. / Courtesy of SK Innovation

SK Innovation is presenting integrated energy solutions combining renewable energy, battery energy storage systems (BESS), small modular reactors (SMRs), and liquefied natural gas (LNG) to address surging power demand from artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.

On the 16th, SK Innovation announced that it will participate in the World Climate Industry Expo (WCE) 2026, held at BEXCO in Busan from the 16th to the 18th, to showcase technologies spanning energy generation, storage, transmission, and operational optimization.

The core of this exhibition lies in moving beyond supplying individual energy sources independently to assembling customized combinations of power generation assets based on customers' electricity needs and operational profiles. It is a tailored power supply model targeting facilities that require stable, large-scale electricity, such as AI data centers.

SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won also recently highlighted the importance of integrated energy solutions that merge multiple energy sources, noting that SK Innovation can play a pivotal role in AI-driven energy solutions and the electrification sector underpinning AI data centers.

SK Innovation will first highlight the current status and expansion plans of its renewable energy business. As of the end of May this year, the company secured a global renewable energy pipeline of approximately 5.3 gigawatts and operates solar and wind power projects across Southeast Asia, including Vietnam.

In the domestic market, the company points to the Jeonnam offshore wind power project, which began commercial operations in May last year, as a flagship case study. Moving forward, it plans to expand generation capacity up to 900 megawatts.

The company will also showcase BESS technology designed to mitigate the intermittency of renewable energy. SK On enhances safety and operational efficiency through predictive battery management technology and pack-level designs, presenting strategies to supply power more reliably to large-scale consumers such as AI data centers when paired with renewable sources.

The SMR business, viewed as a next-generation power source, will be introduced as well. SK is working with TerraPower to establish a related ecosystem. TerraPower's Natrium SMR, currently under construction in Wyoming in the U.S., received construction permit approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in March this year.

LNG combined heat and power (CHP) generation is also presented as a viable source to meet large-scale power demand. Leveraging its comprehensive LNG value chain to co-generate electricity and thermal energy, SK Innovation is pursuing the expansion of distributed generation businesses targeting data centers and other facilities.

AI technologies from SK Group affiliates will also be on display. By showcasing AI-driven systems such as the "Intelligent Power Plant," which integrates and manages diverse energy sources, alongside SK Telecom's "AI Factory" and SK Hynix's high-bandwidth memory (HBM), the company will highlight the group's comprehensive AI infrastructure capabilities spanning from power generation to AI data centers and semiconductors.

An SK Innovation official said, "To underpin the growth of the AI industry, reliable energy solutions capable of providing large-scale power steadily are essential," adding, "We plan to deliver customized, integrated energy solutions for each client by leveraging diverse power sources, including renewables, BESS, SMRs, and LNG combined heat and power."

                                                                                                         Son Kang-hoon