Hyundai Rotem Delivers Korea's First Hydrogen Hybrid Charging Station Utilizing Biogas

Completion Ceremony Held in Chungju, Chungcheongbuk-do
Production of Ultra-High Purity Hydrogen Over 99.99%

At the hydrogen hybrid charging station completion ceremony in Chungju, Chungcheongbuk-do on the 30th, Park Ki-young, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (sixth from the right), Seong Il-hong, Deputy Governor of Chungcheongbuk-do for Economic Affairs (seventh from the right), and Oh Jun-seok, Head of Hyundai Rotem Eco Plant Business Division (third from the right), along with other officials, are posing for a commemorative photo.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-ho Kim] Hyundai Rotem announced on the 31st that it has completed the delivery of a hydrogen extractor to Chungju City, taking the lead in revitalizing hydrogen infrastructure.

At the completion ceremony held on the 30th at the hydrogen hybrid charging station located in Chungju City, Chungcheongbuk-do, about 100 officials including Park Ki-young, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Seong Il-hong, Deputy Governor of Chungcheongbuk-do, attended.

The Chungju hydrogen hybrid charging station is the first in Korea to utilize biogas. It is a charging station capable of producing, storing, transporting, charging, and selling hydrogen by utilizing biogas such as methane gas generated during the food waste treatment process. Hyundai Rotem secured an order for one hydrogen extractor, one of the key core facilities of this charging station, in 2020. The hydrogen extractor is a device that extracts hydrogen from biogas or natural gas.

The hydrogen hybrid charging station equipped with Hyundai Rotem’s hydrogen extractor can produce high-purity hydrogen (99.995%) at 300 N㎥ (normal cubic meters) per hour, up to about 640 kg per day. This amount is sufficient to charge 22 hydrogen buses and 128 hydrogen passenger cars.

Through this completion, it is expected that smooth hydrogen supply to nearby areas using tube trailers and improved accessibility to nearby hydrogen charging stations for local drivers will be greatly enhanced.

In particular, the delivered hydrogen extractor is the first product Hyundai Rotem has supplied since starting its hydrogen business, characterized by the localization of all parts except for the consumable catalyst. With a high localization rate of up to 90%, it has more than 15% price competitiveness compared to overseas products, and stable supply enables continuous maintenance, giving it high competitiveness in the hydrogen charging infrastructure market.

Additionally, to prevent product performance degradation and safety accidents caused by gas leakage, airtightness tests to verify sealing performance and pressure resistance tests to confirm the ability to withstand certain gas pressures were conducted on all piping connections related to hydrogen production. Non-destructive testing, including radiographic and liquid penetrant inspections, was also performed on major welded areas to detect product defects.

Hyundai Rotem plans to advance its hydrogen business by producing core facilities necessary for hydrogen infrastructure construction, such as dispensers that inject hydrogen into vehicles and mobile hydrogen charging stations, using its own technology, in addition to hydrogen extractors. The company also plans to actively participate in domestic and international hydrogen extractor business bids expected to be worth about 100 billion KRW over the next three years, including hydrogen charging stations and hydrogen shipment centers.

A Hyundai Rotem official said, "We have completed delivery through thorough process and quality management to ensure timely operation of Korea’s first hydrogen hybrid charging station utilizing biogas," adding, "We will contribute to building a hydrogen-based logistics network through stable operation of hydrogen charging stations with high-quality hydrogen extractors."

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