Clean Hydrogen, 1 Million Tons Production by 2030... 30 Hydrogen Companies and 50,000 Jobs Created

Government Announces 'Hydrogen Leading Nation Vision'... Expanding Hydrogen Usage to 3.9 Million Tons by 2030

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The government plans to establish a domestic clean hydrogen production system of 1 million tons by 2030. It aims to nurture 30 global hydrogen companies and create 50,000 hydrogen-related jobs. Through this, the government envisions increasing hydrogen consumption to 3.9 million tons by 2030 and raising the clean hydrogen ratio to 50%.

On the 7th, the government announced the 'Hydrogen Leading Nation Vision' at the planned investment site of Hyundai Mobis's next-generation hydrogen fuel cell production plant in Cheongna, Incheon, which includes these plans.

The Hydrogen Leading Nation Vision released by the government on this day contains strategies to build an ecosystem covering the entire cycle of hydrogen production, distribution, and utilization.

In the production sector, the government plans to establish a domestic clean hydrogen production system of 1 million tons by 2030 and 5 million tons by 2050 through demonstration support and other measures. For blue hydrogen, produced by capturing and removing carbon from by-product hydrogen production, the target is 750,000 tons by 2030 (500,000 tons by POSCO, 250,000 tons by SK and Jungbu Power) and increasing production to 2 million tons by 2050. Green hydrogen, produced by electrolyzing water using renewable energy, will be produced at 250,000 tons by 2030 and 3 million tons by 2050 by utilizing large-scale renewable energy projects in Jeju Island, Jeonnam Sinan, Saemangeum, and other locations. Based on this, the goal is to establish a global hydrogen supply chain led by South Korea and achieve a hydrogen self-sufficiency rate of 50% by 2050.

Imports of clean hydrogen will also be expanded. Ten companies, including Hyundai Glovis, will import 3 million tons of blue and green ammonia from Australia. Seventeen companies, including POSCO, will import 4.4 million tons of blue and green ammonia from Oman, Australia, Russia, and other regions, while seven companies, including GS Energy, will import 1.14 million tons of blue ammonia from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Six companies, including Lotte Fine Chemical, will conduct demonstrations in Incheon, Chile, Saudi Arabia, and other locations, and two companies, including SK E&S, plan to supply 250,000 tons of blue hydrogen from Boryeong starting in 2025.

Hydrogen infrastructure to enhance the convenience of clean hydrogen use will also be established. Early commercialization of ammonia-powered ships (2025) and liquefied hydrogen carriers (2031) will be pursued, and hydrogen ports will be developed in Ulsan, Busan, Gunsan, and other areas to facilitate smooth overseas hydrogen imports. Hydrogen charging stations will be expanded to 660 by 2030, 1,200 by 2040, and over 2,000 by 2050. Liquefied hydrogen infrastructure and hydrogen pipelines at major hubs will also be constructed.

In the hydrogen utilization sector, the government plans to halve the price of hydrogen vehicles and double their driving range by 2030. The application of hydrogen vehicle technology will be expanded to various mobility types such as trains, ships, and urban air mobility (UAM).

Hydrogen power generation will be expanded to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including hydrogen turbines (co-firing and full firing) and coal-ammonia co-firing. To this end, the scale of fuel cells will be increased to 3.7 GW by 2030.

Additionally, specialized hydrogen graduate schools and university courses will be established to create 50,000 quality jobs by 2030, and an international hydrogen initiative led by South Korea will be promoted. The government plans to include these details in the 'Basic Plan for Hydrogen Economy Transition' and finalize it through the 4th Hydrogen Economy Committee meeting in November.

Meanwhile, at the event, visions from representative companies across the value chain were also announced, including Samsung Engineering and GS Energy's clean hydrogen production and import plans, SK E&S's domestic blue hydrogen production and liquefied distribution plans, and Korea Electric Power Corporation's plans for fuel conversion in coal and gas power generation.

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