Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to Establish Large-Capacity Hydrogen Charging Stations at Cargo Truck Rest Areas in Incheon and Ulsan

Two Local Governments Selected for Hydrogen Vehicle Charging Stations... First Step in Operating Logistics Network

Basic Components of a Hydrogen Refueling Station (Example)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 25th that it has selected Ulsan Metropolitan City and Incheon Metropolitan City as local governments to implement projects this year to build large-capacity hydrogen refueling stations for the introduction of 10-ton class large hydrogen cargo trucks as part of promoting the hydrogen economy in the transportation sector.

Previously, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport conducted a nationwide public contest targeting metropolitan and basic local governments for three weeks starting December 7 last year. Subsequently, an expert evaluation committee consisting of specialists in hydrogen, transportation, logistics, and urban planning comprehensively evaluated project feasibility, site conditions, facility utilization, and operation plans, selecting two out of three participating institutions.

To promote the pilot operation project for converting diesel cargo trucks in the private sector to hydrogen cargo trucks according to the 'Hydrogen Economy Activation Roadmap' announced in January 2019 (scheduled operation of five 10-ton trucks from 2021 to 2022), the Ministry signed a memorandum of understanding in May last year with related ministries (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Environment), logistics companies (CJ Logistics, Hyundai Glovis, Coupang), and vehicle manufacturers (Hyundai Motor Company) to promote the hydrogen cargo truck pilot project.

The Ministry explained that the construction of this hydrogen refueling station is significant as it is the first station necessary for the hydrogen cargo truck pilot project and also marks the starting point for the future operation of a hydrogen-based logistics network.

Ulsan Metropolitan City and Incheon Metropolitan City, selected as project operators, plan to build hydrogen refueling stations within this year on sites of cargo truck rest areas located near ports and industrial and logistics complexes, which serve as logistics hubs.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport will establish a cooperative system with local governments and participating organizations to ensure the smooth progress of the hydrogen cargo truck refueling station construction projects, regularly check the progress at each project stage, promptly resolve any difficulties, and, referring to future industry demand and pilot project outcomes, plans to gradually expand the scale of hydrogen cargo truck refueling stations.

Kim Baeseong, Director of the Logistics Policy Division at the Ministry, said, "The transition to hydrogen cargo trucks is a field with greater environmental benefits than any other and is a path that must be taken for the sustainable development of the logistics industry. We will continue to expand refueling infrastructure to establish a full-scale hydrogen logistics network in the future."

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