Gimhae City-Korea Gas Corporation Hold Groundbreaking Ceremony for Hydrogen Refueling Station

Daily Bus and Car Charging Scale of 59 Units

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kang Woo-kwon] Gimhae's first hydrogen charging station is expected to begin operation as early as August this year.

Gimhae City (Mayor Heo Seong-gon) and Korea Gas Corporation (President Chae Hee-bong) held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Gimhae hydrogen charging station on the 16th at the Korea Gas Corporation Busan-Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters in Andong. The event was attended by officials from both organizations, including Cho Hyun-myung, Vice Mayor of Gimhae City, Kim Hyung-soo, Chairman of the Gimhae City Council, Sung Young-gyu, Vice President of Safety Technology at Korea Gas Corporation, and about 60 citizens.

At the event, attendees marked the start of construction with a touch button ceremony and test-rode the hydrogen bus, which is scheduled to be introduced in Gimhae City for the first time this year. The city plans to introduce three hydrogen fuel-powered city buses within this year.

Following the government's announcement of the hydrogen economy activation roadmap, Gimhae City and Korea Gas Corporation signed an agreement to build a hydrogen charging station in March last year. Construction began on the site of the Korea Gas Corporation Busan-Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters and is scheduled to be completed by August.

Separately, hydrogen production and shipment facilities will be installed and are set to begin operation from August 2021.

The project cost for the hydrogen charging station is 3 billion KRW in total, including a 1.5 billion KRW subsidy from the Ministry of Environment. Korea Gas Corporation will invest an additional 4.6 billion KRW to install hydrogen production facilities to supply hydrogen independently, with any surplus hydrogen supplied to nearby charging stations.

The Gimhae hydrogen charging station will operate 13 hours a day and be capable of charging 50 hydrogen vehicles and 9 hydrogen buses. Once operational, it will alleviate the inconvenience of charging in nearby Changwon and Busan areas, enhancing convenience for hydrogen vehicle users.

Additionally, with the installation of hydrogen production facilities capable of producing 25 kg per hour, a hydrogen supply infrastructure will be established, providing an opportunity for the expansion of hydrogen charging stations.

The city distributed 10 hydrogen vehicles last year, and with the establishment of the Gimhae hydrogen charging station, plans to distribute more than 100 vehicles annually starting this year. Additional hydrogen charging stations will be constructed in 2022.

Mayor Heo Seong-gon of Gimhae said, "In line with the government's hydrogen economy activation roadmap, we will contribute to reducing fine dust and revitalizing the hydrogen economy by expanding the distribution of hydrogen vehicles and building charging infrastructure."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.