South Korea to Build Hydrogen Production Facilities for 50,000 Vehicles This Year

The South Korean government will secure hydrogen enough to power 50,000 hydrogen vehicles this year to speed up the establishment of a hydrogen mobility system.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on May 19 that it has provide support to five cities for construction of hydrogen production facilities. Gwangju and Changwon will each build a middle-sized hydrogen production facility, while Busan, Daejeon, and Chuncheon will build a small-sized one.

Through the construction project, the government will secure about 7,400 tons of hydrogen per year, which is enough to power 760 buses or 49,000 passenger cars.

The government announced the “Roadmap to Revitalize the Hydrogen Economy” last year. As part of the plan, the government is supporting the establishment of hydrogen production facilities that are needed to create a hydrogen transportation network. Last year, three cities — Samcheok in Gangwon Province, Changwon in South Gyeongsang Province and Pyeongtaek in Gyeonggi Province — were selected as locations for small-scale hydrogen production facilities.

Medium-sized hydrogen production facilities can produce more than four tons of hydrogen a day. The government plans to provide 8 billion won per site in state funds by next year, with 4.44 billion won to be spent this year.

The locations for mid-sized facilities were selected by an expert committee in consideration of applying cities’ plans to supply hydrogen cars and charging stations, secure residents’ acceptance, raise funding, and foster the local hydrogen industry.

A small hydrogen production facility can produce more than one ton of hydrogen a day. The government plans to build five facilities with a total of budget of 25 billion won. Three cities were selected this time and two more will be chosen in the second half.

The three cities for small-scale facilities were selected by an expert committee in consideration of factors such as the facilities’ link with nearby hydrogen bus routes and bus charging stations, hydrogen supply prices and operation plans, and ways to secure residents’ acceptance and safety.

The government expects the project to significantly increase the economic feasibility and stability of the nation’s hydrogen supply, enabling a more speedy spread of hydrogen mobility.

In the future, the government will continue to expand hydrogen production facilities in line with the spread of hydrogen cars and buses and the establishment of hydrogen charging stations. Its goal is to have 2.75 million hydrogen passenger cars and 40,000 hydrogen buses on the road and 1,200 hydrogen charging stations by 2040.

An official from the Energy Ministry said, “We will make efforts to become a leading country in the global hydrogen economy by establishing an early hydrogen mobility infrastructure without inconvenience to the people.”