100 Billion Won Invested Over 4 Years in Hydrogen Bus Charging Station Demonstration Project... Two Sites in Changwon to Begin Construction in Second Half of Year

Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy: "Establishing Standards for Korean-Style Hydrogen Refueling Stations and Enhancing Domestic Parts Localization Rate"

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government will invest 10 billion KRW in national funds over the next four years to establish standards for Korean-style hydrogen charging stations and increase the localization rate. Starting in the second half of the year, two hydrogen bus charging stations will be constructed in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, and completed by the end of next year.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 20th that the Korea Automotive Technology Institute was finally selected as the support target for the "Hydrogen Bus Charging Station Demonstration Project."

The policy will be linked with the local industry of Changwon, a pilot city for hydrogen buses. Changwon currently operates five hydrogen buses and plans to increase this number to 300 by 2025.

The core of the project is to build and operate various types of charging stations to establish Korean-style hydrogen charging station standards and improve the localization rate of parts.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy received applications from March 23 to April 22 and held an evaluation committee meeting on April 27.

The evaluation comprehensively considered each institution's demonstration of domestic parts and charging station operation plans, as well as local governments' hydrogen bus distribution plans.

The Korea Automotive Technology Institute plans to start construction of two hydrogen bus charging stations in the second half of the year and complete them by the end of next year.

The parts demonstration charging station will be built on the site of the Southeast Headquarters of the Korea Automotive Technology Institute in Uichang-gu, Changwon. The bus-linked charging station will be constructed at the Deokdong city bus garage in Masanhappo-gu, Changwon. Parts demonstration and bus-linked demonstration will be conducted simultaneously.

After building charging stations with a parts localization rate of over 80%, hydrogen bus charging will be enabled. Reliability of parts will be secured by testing durability using a charge-discharge simulation device (a device that charges and discharges as if charging an actual hydrogen bus). Emergency charging plans for breakdowns will also be prepared.

Even after the demonstration project ends, the charging station at the Southeast Headquarters of the Korea Automotive Technology Institute will continue to be used for hydrogen-related research. The charging station at the Deokdong city bus garage will be utilized as a general hydrogen bus charging station.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy expects the project to contribute to identifying and resolving technical and operational improvements that arise during the demonstration process of hydrogen bus charging stations.

An official from the ministry said, "We will contribute to the spread of the hydrogen economy by achieving goals such as the distribution of hydrogen bus charging stations, parts localization, reduction of charging station installation costs, and performance and safety evaluation. In the future, we will strive to establish a balanced hydrogen supply and demand by linking hydrogen bus charging stations with hydrogen production bases."

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