"2050 Carbon Neutrality"... Ministry of Industry Holds First 'Hydrogen Round Table' Meeting

Ministry of Industry Accelerates 2050 Carbon Neutrality
Following Solar and Wind, Establishes 'Hydrogen Round Table'

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held the first meeting on the 14th to establish the 'Hydrogen Roundtable,' a public-private communication channel in the hydrogen economy sector, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

The Hydrogen Roundtable is composed of experts from the government, public institutions, industry-academia-research sectors, and environmental organizations. It was created to share the government's carbon neutrality policy directions and to discover and discuss various policy demands.

Hydrogen energy is a future new growth engine with significant economic and industrial ripple effects and a source of eco-friendly energy. Its importance is highlighted as a core element of industrial innovation and decarbonization. In particular, green hydrogen, produced by splitting water using renewable energy power, is an eco-friendly hydrogen with zero carbon emissions. It replaces fossil fuels across transportation and industrial processes and serves as an energy storage role supporting the stable supply of renewable energy.

Currently, the utilization rate of by-product hydrogen and extracted hydrogen is high, but going forward, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy plans to induce the establishment of a green hydrogen economy through the use of low-carbon hydrogen that processes carbon during hydrogen extraction from fossil fuels, innovation and commercialization of green hydrogen technologies, import of inexpensive overseas green hydrogen, and the establishment of a green hydrogen certification system.

At the meeting, presentations were made on ▲ Progress of hydrogen economy policy implementation and carbon neutrality promotion plans (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy) ▲ Policy suggestions for the hydrogen economy for carbon neutrality (Carbon Neutrality Technology Planning Committee) ▲ Trends and prospects of green hydrogen technology development (Korea Institute of Energy Technology). Experts offered many opinions on the role and direction of the hydrogen economy to realize carbon neutrality. The main key tasks presented were ▲ Innovation and increased utilization of green hydrogen production technology linked to renewable energy ▲ Enhancement of full-cycle liquefied hydrogen technology ▲ Localization of core technologies ▲ Introduction of a green hydrogen certification system.

Choi Wooseok, Director of the New and Renewable Energy Policy Division at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, stated, "The hydrogen economy and carbon neutrality are paths no one has taken before, and we must pioneer them together with public and private sectors through challenge and innovation spirit." He added, "We will continue to hold the Hydrogen Roundtable regularly to discuss carbon neutrality implementation plans."

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