Gangwon-do Begins Domestic First 'Commercialization of Liquid Hydrogen Industry' Demonstration

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Liquefied Hydrogen Storage Containers, Storage Tanks, Tanker Truck Tanks [Gangwon-do]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ra Young-cheol] Gangwon Province and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups are collaborating to undertake the country's first "liquefied hydrogen production and storage product manufacturing demonstration."

Gangwon Province announced on the 12th, "By utilizing local infrastructure (such as the Samcheok LNG receiving terminal), we plan to promote a step-by-step demonstration project for liquefied hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and utilization, aiming to establish a full-cycle liquefied hydrogen industry ecosystem in the province."

According to the two organizations, liquefied hydrogen reduces volume to 1/800 compared to gaseous hydrogen, enabling large-capacity storage and offering about 10 times higher transportation efficiency than 200-bar high-pressure storage tube trailers.

Therefore, the purpose of this demonstration conducted in the Gangwon liquefied hydrogen regulatory free zone is the industrial commercialization through the entire process of liquefied hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and utilization.

To this end, the core task of this demonstration is to manufacture containers, tanks, and tank lorries that can safely transport liquefied hydrogen.

For manufacturing drone-use, medium- and large-capacity containers, tanks, and tank lorries, materials such as titanium and other metals capable of withstanding the ultra-low temperature of liquefied hydrogen (below minus 253 degrees Celsius) are used.

Safety verification will also be conducted for insulation, corrosion, and BOG (Boil-Off Gas) standards to enable liquefied hydrogen storage and transportation.

The start of the demonstration is also the component manufacturing stage for liquefied hydrogen production and storage, which forms the foundation for creating the liquefied hydrogen industry ecosystem.

Detailed projects such as liquefied hydrogen production, charging station manufacturing, and mobility (ships and drones) manufacturing and operation will proceed with demonstration starts within the year after preparing safety standards with related organizations.

The plan is to prove the safety of the liquefied hydrogen industry through the demonstration and, based on the results, establish liquefied hydrogen-related regulations to lay the foundation for liquefied hydrogen commercialization.

[Image source=Gangwon-do]

Previously, the province has conducted risk assessments for the demonstration in collaboration with government ministries and related organizations, including the "High-Pressure Gas Safety Control Act and overseas standards."

The province expects that the start of the regulatory free zone demonstration will also boost projects underway within the province, such as the hydrogen pilot city infrastructure technology development project, hydrogen production facility construction project, and hydrogen storage and transportation cluster creation project.

Currently, South Korea is in the early stages of the hydrogen economy, with gaseous hydrogen still playing a major role. It is anticipated that when large-scale hydrogen demand arises in the future, the need for liquefied hydrogen, which has higher storage and transportation efficiency than gaseous hydrogen, will increase.

Kim Kwang-jin, Director of the Advanced Industry Bureau of the province, said, "We will spare no support so that domestic and international hydrogen-related companies can settle in Gangwon Province, which was a barren land for new industries, free from regulations, and become a cradle of innovative growth."

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