Completion of 'Hydrogen Production Facility' in Pyeongtaek Capable of Annual Hydrogen Refueling for 410,000 Vehicles

[Asia Economy (Pyeongtaek) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] A hydrogen production facility capable of refueling 410,000 hydrogen vehicles annually was completed in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, on the 27th. Governor Kim Dong-yeon of Gyeonggi Province declared the popularization of the hydrogen economy as part of measures to respond to the climate crisis.

Governor Kim attended the completion ceremony of the Pyeongtaek hydrogen production facility held in Wonjeong-ri, Poseung-eup, Pyeongtaek City (Wonjeong District, Asan National Industrial Complex) and said, "One of the future challenges we must overcome is climate change," adding, "I expect the Pyeongtaek hydrogen production facility to play a significant role in popularizing the hydrogen economy."

He continued, "(The Pyeongtaek hydrogen production facility) will produce more than 7 tons of hydrogen per day, becoming the largest hydrogen production base in South Korea," and added, "I firmly believe that the Pyeongtaek hydrogen production facility will serve as a key energy source in the era of carbon neutrality."

The Pyeongtaek hydrogen production facility was funded with a total of 23 billion KRW, including 4.85 billion KRW from the national government, 3 billion KRW from the provincial government, 7 billion KRW from the city government, and 8.15 billion KRW from the private sector.

Here, hydrogen is produced by reforming natural gas supplied from the Pyeongtaek LNG receiving terminal (a process that decomposes natural gas with hot steam to produce hydrogen). Starting as early as next month, it will produce up to 7 tons of hydrogen per day (approximately 2,450 tons annually). This amount is sufficient to fully refuel about 1,200 hydrogen vehicles per day (approximately 410,000 vehicles annually).

Currently, there are 33 hydrogen charging stations operating in the metropolitan area: 20 in Gyeonggi, 7 in Seoul, and 6 in Incheon. Most receive hydrogen supply from distant locations such as Daesan, Ulsan, and Yeosu, which are more than 120 km away on average. With this completion, hydrogen transportation costs are expected to decrease significantly, leading to a reduction in hydrogen supply prices in the metropolitan area.

Earlier, the province and Pyeongtaek City declared the establishment of the "Pyeongtaek Port Carbon Neutral Hydrogen Complex Zone" in July last year and signed a business agreement with 20 public institutions and private companies.

The "Pyeongtaek Port Carbon Neutral Hydrogen Complex Zone" project aims to transform the Pyeongtaek Port area, the largest cluster of national key industries, into a carbon-neutral hydrogen complex zone linking the city, industrial complexes, and the port to realize the government's 2050 carbon neutrality goal.

Governor Kim pledged to create a "Gyeonggi Province-type Hydrogen Convergence Cluster" in Pyeongtaek and Ansan, making it a core hub of the hydrogen industry by linking it with regionally specialized industries.

The province and Pyeongtaek City plan to build a hydrogen transportation complex base near Pyeongtaek Port linked with hydrogen charging facilities following the hydrogen production facility and to develop a hydrogen city that uses hydrogen as the main energy source for the city.

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