First Gas Station Equipped with 'Electric Vehicle Charging Facilities' Opens in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul... Expansion to 100 Locations by Next Year

Transforming into a Comprehensive Energy Station... Electricity Production and Sales Possible with Solar Power and Fuel Cells
Electric, Hydrogen, and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles All Usable... Expanding Gas Stations into New Business Models
Continuous Expansion of Participating Gas Stations to 100 by Next Year, Citywide Expansion by 2030

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 9th that it has opened the first 'Total Energy Station (TES)' gas station equipped with fuel cells, solar power generation, and electric vehicle charging facilities at SK Bakmi Gas Station in Geumcheon-gu.

The SK Bakmi Gas Station, the first of its kind nationwide opened by Seoul City, is equipped with a 300KW fuel cell, 20kW solar power system, one ultra-fast electric vehicle charger, and one fast charger. In addition to traditional fuel services such as gasoline, electric vehicle charging is also available. Electricity generated by the fuel cells and solar power can be sold to Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) for profit or used to supply power for electric vehicle charging.

Earlier, in January last year, Seoul City signed an agreement with SK Energy to install fuel cells and solar power systems at gas stations to directly generate electricity and equip electric vehicle charging facilities, advancing discussions to expand renewable energy. Under current laws, fuel cells cannot be installed at gas stations. According to the Hazardous Materials Safety Control Act, facilities allowed on gas station premises include solar power and electric/hydrogen charging stations, but fuel cells and ESS (Energy Storage Systems) face installation restrictions due to safety concerns.

In response, Seoul City and SK Energy have continuously requested regulatory improvements from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to allow the installation of fuel cell power generation facilities at gas stations. As a result, in May last year, they received approval for a regulatory sandbox demonstration exemption, and in January this year, they installed solar power, fuel cells, and electric vehicle chargers at the gas station to conduct a two-year demonstration project.

Starting with the demonstration project with SK Energy, Seoul City plans to cooperate with other oil companies through agreements to encourage active participation from independent gas stations. SK Energy plans to proactively expand such Total Energy Stations to 100 locations within Seoul by next year, starting with the opening of Bakmi Gas Station, as regulations related to gas stations improve.

Yoo Yeon-sik, Head of the Climate and Environment Headquarters of Seoul City, said, “The opening of Bakmi Gas Station, the nation’s first Total Energy Station, is significant as it transformed gas stations into future-oriented eco-friendly energy production and supply bases through active regulatory improvements by both public and private sectors.” He added, “Seoul City will continue to strive for regulatory improvements and provide policy support to introduce renewable energy suitable for Seoul.”

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