Jeonnam Province and Yeosu Industrial Complex Companies Join Hands to Lead the Hydrogen Industry

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province and companies located in the Yeosu Industrial Complex have joined hands to lead the hydrogen-related industry, a future clean energy.

On the 21st, the province announced that it signed a ‘Hydrogen Industry Promotion Business Agreement’ at Yeosu City Hall with 13 organizations including major companies in the Yeosu Industrial Complex such as GS Caltex, Lotte Chemical, Hanwha/Global, Yeocheon NCC, Air Liquide Korea, Hanyang, and power generation public enterprises.

Through this business agreement, power generation public enterprises and Yeosu Industrial Complex companies plan to promote hydrogen-ammonia co-firing power generation, hydrogen power generation demonstration and research and development, construction of a hydrogen fuel cell power plant (100 MW), and installation of liquefied hydrogen charging stations through the establishment of liquefied hydrogen production facilities by 2025.

In the long term, they plan to invest 1.8 trillion won by 2030 to produce blue hydrogen linked with carbon capture technology and build a hydrogen-dedicated port terminal at Yeosu and Gwangyang ports for importing green hydrogen and ammonia.

The province and Yeosu City will focus their efforts on policy support and administrative support such as permits to ensure the successful outcome of companies’ carbon neutrality efforts.

Kim Hyung-il, CEO of Hanyang, said, “I am very pleased to sign a business agreement with Jeonnam Province, Yeosu City, and various industrial complex companies,” adding, “This agreement will act as a catalyst to accelerate the creation of a hydrogen industry ecosystem in Yeosu and Jeonnam.”

Governor Kim Young-rok stated, “The eastern region of Jeonnam, including Yeosu, is the optimal place for the hydrogen industry with excellent natural conditions and industrial infrastructure,” and added, “This business agreement will take Jeonnam’s hydrogen industry to the next level and serve as a foundation for regional development.”

He continued, “As advanced countries around the world are hastening the paradigm shift to a hydrogen society, I ask Yeosu City and industrial complex companies to unite their efforts so that Jeonnam can lead the national hydrogen industry as a core axis of future clean energy.”

Meanwhile, Jeonnam Province is focusing on fostering a clean energy hydrogen industry ecosystem using renewable energy in line with the energy transition policy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

In the short term, gray hydrogen and blue hydrogen will be fostered by utilizing by-product hydrogen produced at the Yeosu petrochemical complex and Gwangyang steelworks in the eastern region. In the mid to long term, a full-cycle green hydrogen industry cluster will be established in connection with renewable energy such as offshore wind power within the province.

Efforts are also being accelerated to develop a ‘Green Hydrogen Energy Island’ that produces green hydrogen in connection with large-scale offshore wind power.

Last October, a task force was formed with 11 departments and 14 teams from the main office and 3 related organizations to continuously discover tasks related to Jeonnam’s hydrogen industry in response to the government’s hydrogen policy.

In addition, the province was recently selected for the Ministry of Industry’s ‘Establishment of Electrolyzer System Performance Testing Center’ project, which will lead the domestic green hydrogen industry, and is currently promoting the project. Based on this, Jeonnam is accelerating the establishment of a green hydrogen ecosystem by building the world’s first electrolyzer certification center and attracting domestic green hydrogen-related companies in the future.

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