JNK Heater, Demonstration Project for Hydrogen Fuel Cells in Ships... First Step Toward Commercialization of Hydrogen Ships

Agreement on 'Hydrogen Fuel Cell Ship Hydrogen Refueling Station Construction and Demonstration' Project
Hydrogen ship refueling facilities to be built and demonstrated within the special zone by February next year
Legal basis for ship hydrogen refueling station construction to be proposed to relevant ministries

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyungsoo] JNK Heater, the only domestic company specializing in industrial furnaces and hydrogen extractors, announced on the 24th that it has recently signed an agreement with the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology, the dedicated agency for the Ulsan Hydrogen Green Mobility Regulatory Free Zone project, to carry out the project titled "Construction and Demonstration of Hydrogen Refueling Stations for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Ships."

JNK Heater will serve as the lead organization, with Duckyang Co., Ltd., Korea Gas Safety Corporation Gas Safety Research Institute, and Smart Ocean Co., Ltd. participating as partner organizations. In particular, the project will be closely linked with another Ulsan regulatory free zone project, "Development and Demonstration of Eco-friendly Small Ships Applying Hydrogen Fuel Cell Propulsion Systems."

Under current regulations, hydrogen can only be used as fuel for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles such as passenger cars, buses, and trucks. It cannot be used for other transportation means such as fuel cell forklifts or hydrogen fuel cell ships.

As a demonstration project, various safety aspects necessary for establishing hydrogen refueling facilities for hydrogen fuel cell ships will be reviewed, and based on this, facility construction guidelines will be prepared. After consultations with government ministries, refueling facilities will be constructed at the demonstration site within the regulatory free zone by February next year, and refueling tests for hydrogen fuel cell ships will be completed by the end of next year. Using the data obtained through the demonstration project, refueling procedures for hydrogen ships will be established, and related legal grounds for constructing refueling stations will be proposed to government ministries.

A JNK Heater official explained, "This is JNK Heater's first hydrogen refueling station project starting in Ulsan," and added, "Through the project, we will actually refuel hydrogen fuel cell ships and secure related data, ultimately proposing legal grounds for establishing hydrogen refueling facilities for hydrogen ships." He further stated, "Above all, safety in facility construction and operation will be the top priority when proposing the legislation."

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