Pohang City Accelerates Hydrogen Vehicle Distribution and Charging Station Expansion to Advance Eco-Friendly Hydrogen Society

Full-Scale Distribution Begins This Year Through Hydrogen Passenger Car Registration Support Subsidy

Jangheung Charging Station to Operate in First Half of Next Year to Expand Charging Infrastructure

Perspective view of the hydrogen transportation complex base (liquefied charging infrastructure).

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Pohang City is accelerating the promotion of hydrogen vehicles and the expansion of hydrogen charging stations to advance an eco-friendly hydrogen society.

Since July this year, according to the public announcement of the plan to supply zero-emission vehicles (hydrogen passenger cars) to the private and public sectors, the city plans to supply 25 hydrogen passenger cars (813 million KRW) by December 23. As of the end of October, registration support for 8 vehicles (260 million KRW) was provided for the first time this year.

Accordingly, including the hydrogen passenger vehicles already operating in the region, a total of 15 vehicles are currently registered and in operation.

The city expects a total of 32 hydrogen passenger cars to be in operation in the region once the remaining registration support for 17 vehicles is completed by the end of this year. To expand hydrogen charging infrastructure, Kohygen, a special purpose corporation specializing in hydrogen charging, is investing 8 billion KRW (4.2 billion KRW national funds, 3.8 billion KRW private funds) in the Jangheung commercial hydrogen charging station within the Pohang Steel Industrial Complex as a Ministry of Environment private subsidy project. Construction began in August and is scheduled for completion by the end of March next year.

Next year, the city plans to secure 3.562 billion KRW (2.572 billion KRW national funds, 99 million KRW local funds) for the zero-emission vehicle supply project and additionally supply 51 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (45 passenger cars, 6 buses) targeting commuter buses within the industrial complex.

The city is also applying for and promoting the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s public project, the ‘Northern Region Bus Public Garage Future Hydrogen Transportation Complex Construction Project,’ to expand hydrogen charging green mobility infrastructure that advances the future hydrogen economy society.

If selected for this project, a total of 12.8 billion KRW (7.5 billion KRW national funds, 4.5 billion KRW local funds, 800 million KRW private funds) will be invested to relocate the northern region bus public garage to a site within Yeongilman 4 General Industrial Complex and build a multi-purpose hydrogen transportation complex including a liquefied hydrogen commercial charging station, ultra-fast electric vehicle charging stations, and auxiliary facilities.

It is expected that an environmentally friendly transportation system utilizing hydrogen energy will be established in the logistics and transportation sector of Yeongilman Port, a transportation hub where the East Coast Hydrogen Economy Belt (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport), energy clusters, the Yeongilman Cross Bridge highway, and the Yeongilman Port International Container Terminal are located, connecting Gangwon, Gyeongbuk, and Ulsan.

Gowonhak, Director of the Environment Bureau, said, “In line with the government’s hydrogen economy activation policy, we are currently building or planning to build a total of five hydrogen charging infrastructures (three in Nam-gu and two in Buk-gu) by 2025.” He added, “We will actively promote the expansion of hydrogen vehicle supply and the construction of charging infrastructure to realize ‘2050 Carbon Neutrality,’ reduce greenhouse gases, swiftly transition to eco-friendly future energy free from fine dust concerns, and create a future mobility zero-emission vehicle-centered ecosystem, making every effort to lead the response to the climate crisis.”

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