Korea's Hydrogen Economy Opens... SK E&S Completes World's Largest Liquefied Hydrogen Plant

Completion of the World's Largest Liquefied Hydrogen Plant with Annual Capacity of 30,000 Tons
Expansion of Eco-Friendly Hydrogen Vehicles Expected through Stable Supply

SK E&S Incheon Liquefied Hydrogen Plant. Photo by SK E&S

SK E&S has completed the world's largest liquefied hydrogen plant in Incheon with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons, marking the official start of the 'hydrogen mobility era.' With the ability to supply large-scale liquefied hydrogen domestically, the adoption of hydrogen buses and other initiatives are expected to accelerate.

On the 8th, SK E&S held a completion ceremony for the Incheon liquefied hydrogen plant at IGI Co., Ltd. in Wonnam-dong, Seo-gu, Incheon. IGI is a subsidiary established by SK E&S in 2021 to promote its liquefied hydrogen business.

The ceremony was attended by Minister An Deok-geun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Lee Jae-jung, Chairman of the National Assembly Industry, Trade, Small and Medium Enterprises Committee, Yoo Jung-bok, Mayor of Incheon Metropolitan City, Kang Seok-hoon, Chairman of KDB Industrial Bank, Jang Yong-ho, CEO of SK Inc., Yoon Hee-sung, President of the Export-Import Bank of Korea, Kim Sung-tae, President of IBK Industrial Bank, Park Kyung-guk, President of Korea Gas Safety Corporation, and Choo Hyung-wook, CEO of SK E&S.

The 'World's Largest' Liquefied Hydrogen Plant Established in Incheon

The Incheon liquefied hydrogen plant produces liquefied hydrogen by refining by-product hydrogen gas generated within the processes of nearby SK Incheon Petrochem and cooling it to high-purity hydrogen. The facility is equipped with three liquefaction units with a daily capacity of 30 tons each and six storage units with a capacity of 20 tons each. It is the world's largest single-plant facility, capable of producing approximately 30,000 tons of liquefied hydrogen annually. This amount of liquefied hydrogen can operate about 5,000 hydrogen buses for one year.

Liquefied hydrogen is hydrogen that exists as a gas at room temperature but is cooled to an ultra-low temperature of minus 253 degrees Celsius to become liquid. Compared to gaseous hydrogen, its volume is reduced to 1/800, and the transport capacity per trip is about 10 times greater, making it advantageous for large-scale storage and transportation. It can be transported at low pressure, enhancing safety, and has strengths such as fast refueling speed and short waiting times, making it a 'game changer' that will lead the transition of commercial vehicles like buses and trucks to hydrogen vehicles. For these reasons, the hydrogen industry in countries like the United States and Japan has matured around liquefied hydrogen.

The Incheon liquefied hydrogen plant is the first tangible result of SK E&S's plan to build a hydrogen ecosystem. SK Group first announced the plan to build the Incheon liquefied hydrogen plant at the 3rd Hydrogen Economy Committee chaired by the Prime Minister in March 2021 and has since been working to create a hydrogen ecosystem centered on SK E&S. At that time, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won stated, “SK will take the lead in creating Korea’s hydrogen ecosystem and fulfill the corporate responsibility to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.”

The project’s progress was highlighted by 'public-private cooperation.' Until now, there were no cases of liquefied hydrogen use domestically, and safety and technical standards under current laws were lacking, with new legislation expected to take 2 to 3 years. Although project delays seemed inevitable, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy supported the project through the 'Regulatory Sandbox' system, which supports the creation of new industries using innovative technologies. The Ministry of Environment supported the construction of liquefied hydrogen refueling stations, a key infrastructure for liquefied hydrogen distribution, through the 'Private Capital Subsidy Project for Hydrogen Refueling Station Installation.'

Incheon City and Seo-gu Office of Incheon also actively cooperated by facilitating consultations with relevant ministries regarding necessary permits and approvals to ensure the timely completion of the Incheon liquefied hydrogen plant. With the completion of the liquefied hydrogen plant, Incheon’s vision as a 'hydrogen leading city' is expected to gain momentum in its policy to convert city and metropolitan charter buses to hydrogen buses.

A liquefied hydrogen tank trailer carrying liquefied hydrogen produced at the SK E&S Incheon Liquefied Hydrogen Plant is moving. Photo by SK E&S

Establishing a Stable Hydrogen Supply Base... A Catalyst for the Spread of Eco-Friendly Hydrogen Buses

With the completion of the Incheon liquefied hydrogen plant enabling large-scale production, issues such as the recent 'hydrogen refueling crisis' and unstable hydrogen supply are expected to be resolved. Furthermore, it is anticipated to lay the foundation for South Korea to leap forward as a 'hydrogen economy leader.'

SK E&S plans not only large-scale liquefied hydrogen production but also to promote liquefied hydrogen refueling businesses, contributing to the creation of a full-cycle hydrogen mobility ecosystem. To this end, SK E&S is advancing the construction of about 40 liquefied hydrogen refueling stations nationwide, centered on its subsidiary 'SK Plug Hyverse.' Liquefied hydrogen produced in Incheon will be stably supplied to demand sites through refueling stations to be installed nationwide in cities such as Busan, Cheongju, and Icheon. The goal is to start operating about 20 liquefied hydrogen refueling stations this year.

An SK E&S official stated, "By converting public transportation, the 'citizens’ feet,' to hydrogen vehicles, we will contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector while also marking the beginning of a 'hydrogen public transportation era' that citizens can tangibly experience in their daily lives."

On the day of the completion ceremony, the Korea Petroleum Management Service, the hydrogen distribution agency, IGI, Hyosung Hydrogen, and Hi Changwon, three domestic liquefied hydrogen producers, signed a 'Memorandum of Understanding to Establish a Liquefied Hydrogen Supply Cooperation System.' They plan to cooperate on exchanging liquefied hydrogen volumes and sharing inventory to ensure stable supply without disruption.

CEO Choo Hyung-wook said, "The completion ceremony of the Incheon liquefied hydrogen plant marks the first step in turning SK E&S’s 'dream of the hydrogen era' into reality. This year will be remembered as the inaugural year of the 'liquefied hydrogen era,' which will change the course of South Korea’s energy industry history. We will strive to carry out the operation of the Incheon liquefied hydrogen plant and the construction of liquefied hydrogen refueling infrastructure without delay to contribute to establishing a stable hydrogen supply ecosystem."

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