Donghae, Samcheok and Pohang designated as hydrogen-specialized complexes to power Korea hydrogen industry
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo of the Republic of Korea chaired the seventh Hydrogen Economy Committee meeting today in Seoul with the participation of government officials and industry, academia, and research experts.
Committee discussions centered on three agenda items including the designation of hydrogen-specialized complexes and support measures, liquid hydrogen carrier super gap strategy, and the Hydrogen City 2.0 Strategy.
First, Donghae and Samcheok of Gangwon Province and Pohang of North Gyeongsang Province are to be designated as Korea’s first hydrogen-specialized complexes to promote the integration of hydrogen companies and nurture the regions into a central hub to lead the growth of the domestic hydrogen industry.
Companies in the Seoul capital area deciding to move into these specialized complexes will be provided catered incentives such as a preferential subsidy rate (up 2 percent), permission to enter private contracts for industrial land, as well as support for buyer-supplier joint R&D, demonstration and pilot distribution projects, and manpower training.
Second, the Government will prepare to meet the rise in global hydrogen transport demand, while actively supporting the early securing of large-scale liquid hydrogen carrier technology to gain super gap competitiveness and preoccupy new markets.
To this end, efforts will go into developing foundational MPE (materials, parts, equipment) technologies for liquid hydrogen storage systems, hydrogen-powered propulsion, and related core materials and equipment, with plans to build the demonstration vessel by 2027, verify technology and safety through land and sea navigation by 2030, and realize large-scale carrier commercialization through scale-ups by 2040.
Third, based on the accumulated experience from hydrogen pilot cities (2020–2024), the new Hydrogen City 2.0 Strategy will aim to establish a diverse hydrogen ecosystem across the hydrogen-specialized cities.
The cities will be an upgraded version through hydrogen trams, hydrogen trucks, and other hydrogen transportation infrastructure with a greater scope of eco-friendly hydrogen production facilities. Hydrogen fuel cells will be installed in various different types of buildings including those for industrial complexes, cultural centers, and silver towns.
Prime Minister Han stated in his opening address that hydrogen is a carbon-free energy source recognized as a key means for carbon reduction at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP28), as well as a promising future industry estimated to reach trillions of dollars in global market size by 2050. He underscored that the Korean government will swiftly push the policies passed by the Committee to establish a comprehensive hydrogen industrial ecosystem and concentrate on policy endeavors to lead the global hydrogen economy.
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Donghae, Samcheok and Pohang designated as hydrogen-specialized complexes to power Korea hydrogen industry. source
