Sung Yun-mo's On-site Visit to the 'Hydrogen Economy'... Visit to Daesan Fuel Cell Power Plant

Sung Yun-mo, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy. He is responding during the economic sector government questioning held at the National Assembly plenary session on the 5th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] Sung Yoon-mo, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, visited the Daesan hydrogen fuel cell power plant on the 8th as his first field visit after the enforcement of the 'Hydrogen Act.'

The Daesan hydrogen fuel cell power plant, which began operation in June last year, is the world's first commercial power plant to utilize by-product hydrogen, which does not produce carbon dioxide, as an energy source. It stably supplies 400,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity annually, enough for 160,000 households, to the surrounding area.

During this visit, Minister Sung inspected the power plant's safety management status and encouraged the employees working hard to secure power supply during the winter season.

Minister Sung said, "With the world's first enforcement of the Hydrogen Act, the foundation for advancing into a full-fledged hydrogen economy has been completed," adding, "The hydrogen fuel cell, an eco-friendly power plant, will lead Korea's carbon neutrality in the future." He continued, "We will spare no interest and support to maintain our position as the world's number one in the hydrogen fuel cell power generation market," and urged, "Above all, please operate a 'safe and clean power plant' by strictly adhering to safety management regulations."

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the domestic hydrogen fuel cell supply capacity was about 600 megawatts (MW) as of the end of last year. Accounting for 43% of the global supply, it has grown into the largest power generation market, surpassing the United States (482 MW) and Japan (313 MW).

The government plans to supply 15 gigawatts (GW) of fuel cells for power generation by 2040 and foster it as an export industry. To this end, it has decided to introduce a 'mandatory hydrogen power generation system' and is reorganizing related systems.

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