Hydrogen Mobility Also Charges at Hydrogen Refueling Stations... 'Safety Management Roadmap 2.0'

Ministry of Industry Announces 'Hydrogen Safety Management Roadmap 2.0'
Identifies 64 Tasks Including Safety Standard Development, Regulatory Innovation, and Safety Management Enhancement

In the future, hydrogen mobility vehicles other than hydrogen cars will be able to charge at hydrogen car charging stations, and the installation and operation of fuel cells for power generation within LPG charging stations will be permitted.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced the "Hydrogen Safety Management Roadmap 2.0" on the 9th, which includes these measures to foster a hydrogen industry centered on clean hydrogen.

Last November, the government announced the hydrogen economy policy direction, presenting plans such as ▲creating a clean hydrogen ecosystem and ▲strategies to develop the world's leading hydrogen industry. An official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy explained the background of the roadmap announcement, stating, "To properly implement the new hydrogen economy policy, it is necessary to develop safety standards and manage safety for new hydrogen products and facilities such as clean hydrogen production, hydrogen power generation, and liquefied hydrogen."

Accordingly, since June last year, the ministry has operated the 'Hydrogen Safety Policy Committee' composed of 74 experts from industry, academia, and research institutes, identifying 10 major tasks and 64 detailed tasks encompassing three main strategies: ▲proactive development of safety standards for a clean hydrogen ecosystem, ▲regulatory innovation to foster the world's leading hydrogen industry, and ▲safety management balancing safety and industry.

Developing Safety Standards and Promoting Regulatory Innovation

First, to activate hydrogen mobility, charging of various hydrogen mobility vehicles such as forklifts, trams, trains, and ships will be allowed at hydrogen charging stations, and safety standards for fuel cells installed in hydrogen mobility will be established.

Hydrogen mobility vehicles other than cars will be able to charge at hydrogen car charging stations after safety is verified through demonstrations, and safety standards will be developed and applied, including compliance with safety measures according to international hydrogen charging standards.

Additionally, for coal-ammonia co-firing power generation and liquefied natural gas (LNG)-hydrogen co-firing power generation, safety standards related to large-capacity ammonia or hydrogen pipelines for power generation, as well as safety standards for receiving, storage, and distribution infrastructure, will be developed. Safety standards for various clean hydrogen production facilities such as water electrolysis and ammonia decomposition will also be prepared.

The current provisional safety standards for liquefied hydrogen will be institutionalized. An official from the ministry explained, "If safety requirements are met, anyone will be able to produce and use liquefied hydrogen."

Regulatory innovation to foster the hydrogen industry will also be promoted. Hydrogen products in the development stage will be subject to a separate rapid inspection system, and excellent autonomous safety management businesses will be exempted from regular inspections for a certain period, improving the safety management system.

Furthermore, to activate various hydrogen mobility such as hydrogen buses, commercial vehicles, forklifts, and indoor logistics transport equipment, regulations on hydrogen charging stations will be improved, including self-charging, urban-type charging stations, and rationalization of indoor charging safety standards.

Implementing Customized Safety Management... Securing Public Acceptance of Hydrogen Energy

Efforts will also be made to strengthen capabilities in safety management, such as implementing customized safety management for each hydrogen facility. Safety management will be enhanced by introducing precise safety inspections for large-scale hydrogen facilities and hydrogen transport vehicles, and mandating emergency leak shut-off devices. The ministry plans to strengthen operators' safety management capabilities by steadily establishing hydrogen inspection and testing infrastructure such as water electrolysis and liquefied hydrogen, developing hydrogen safety education programs, and promoting international cooperation in the hydrogen safety field.

In addition, related laws will be amended to include hydrogen safety management matters in the basic gas safety management plan established every five years by the ministry. In response to the increasing demand for hydrogen facility and product inspections and safety management, efforts will be made to expand personnel and organizations of dedicated hydrogen safety agencies for developing hydrogen safety standards, inspecting hydrogen facilities and products, and building and operating safety infrastructure.

Moreover, the ministry will form and operate a 'Hydrogen Regulatory Innovation Private Consultative Body' involving experts from industry, academia, and research to monitor the implementation status of detailed roadmap tasks and continuously identify regulatory improvement requests from companies. Among the 64 detailed tasks, 37 tasks, accounting for 58%, are planned to be completed by next year.

Regular surveys on domestic and international hydrogen safety policy trends and public awareness of hydrogen safety, as well as public acceptance efforts through events such as Hydrogen Day, will also be conducted.

Park Il-jun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said, "Through the hydrogen safety management roadmap, we will proactively establish safety standards for new hydrogen products and facilities necessary for clean hydrogen production to support timely commercialization and ensure safety of clean hydrogen production products and facilities. We will improve regulations tailored to the characteristics of the new hydrogen industry so that companies can actively pursue hydrogen businesses. We will also strengthen safety management of large-scale hydrogen facilities to ensure that the public can use hydrogen with confidence."

Key Contents and Promotion Tasks of the Hydrogen Safety Management Roadmap

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