[C Tech Now] Slow Progress in Liquid Hydrogen Refueling Station Deployment... "Hydrogen Car Launch Must Be Hastened"

In the morning, a hydrogen bus is refueling at Incheon Gajwa Liquefied Hydrogen Refueling Station, the first liquefied hydrogen refueling station in Korea. Photo by Yonhap News.

The common reason cited by operators for not being able to properly commence commercial operations despite completing liquefied hydrogen plants is 'lack of demand.' Even if liquefied hydrogen is produced, there is no suitable place to supply it, so full-scale commercial operation cannot proceed.

The largest demand source for liquefied hydrogen is liquefied hydrogen refueling stations. Alongside the construction of liquefied hydrogen plants, the government, local governments, and related operators have been working to expand the supply of liquefied hydrogen refueling stations.

The Ministry of Environment initially planned to expand to 40 stations by this year and 280 stations by 2030. However, as of December, only 28 stations have been constructed (based on completion inspection). The completion inspection refers to a procedure that confirms normal operation through test runs before the final inspection. A Ministry of Environment official stated, "Currently, construction is underway at 22 locations, so it is expected that the target of 40 liquefied hydrogen refueling stations will be achieved soon."

Liquefied hydrogen plant operators are also independently expanding liquefied hydrogen refueling stations, but the pace is not fast.

SK E&S opened the first liquefied hydrogen refueling station in Incheon Gajwa in April and announced plans to increase to 20 stations nationwide within the year. However, only about half, 10 stations, have opened so far. SK E&S plans to expand liquefied hydrogen refueling stations as demand increases.

Hyosung Heavy Industries established Hyosung Hydrogen with Linde at a 51 to 49 ratio to operate the liquefied hydrogen refueling station business. This company completed the first liquefied hydrogen refueling station in Gwangyang, Jeollanam-do, in October.

The slow expansion of liquefied hydrogen refueling stations is also due to the still limited number of hydrogen vehicles.

According to the Ministry of Environment, the cumulative number of hydrogen vehicles as of the end of October this year is about 37,600, including 1,380 buses and 36,200 passenger cars. For liquefied hydrogen vehicles, the increase this year was only 731 units. Even so, this is a significant increase compared to the cumulative number of 651 units from 2019 to 2023.

The Ministry of Environment aims to supply 300,000 hydrogen vehicles, including 21,200 hydrogen buses, by 2030.

The hydrogen industry expects hydrogen vehicle supply to accelerate next year. Hyundai Motor Company plans to launch the successor model to Nexo, called Inisium, in the first half of next year, marking the first new model in seven years. Additionally, Hyundai is expanding supply through its hydrogen bus production line. This year, Hyundai established a dedicated line at its Jeonju plant capable of producing 3,000 hydrogen buses annually.

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