Taebaek City Declares Vision for a Just Transition from Coal City to Clean Energy City

Taebaek City Presents Vision for Clean Hydrogen and Clean Methanol Transition at GGGW 'Global Clean Hydrogen Forum'
Mayor Lee Sangho Proposes 'Complete RE100' Transition Model

Taebaek City in Gangwon Province (Mayor Sangho Lee) attended as a panelist at the official session of the Global Green Growth Week 2025 (hereinafter GGGW 2025), titled "Global Clean Hydrogen Forum: Driving Innovation for the Future," held on the 29th at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul. Representing local governments in South Korea, Taebaek City presented its vision for a just transition based on clean hydrogen and clean methanol.

Sangho Lee, Mayor of Taebaek City, attended as a panelist at the official session "Global Clean Hydrogen Forum" of the Global Green Growth Week (GGGW 2025) held at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul on the 29th, presenting the vision for a just transition based on clean hydrogen and clean methanol on behalf of local governments in South Korea. Provided by Taebaek City

This event was hosted by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI, chaired by Ban Ki-moon), and was attended by government representatives from over 40 countries, as well as officials from international organizations, industry, and academia, who discussed strategies for sustainable green growth and the transition to a clean hydrogen economy.

During the panel Q&A, Mayor Sangho Lee of Taebaek City stated, "Taebaek's long-term vision for clean hydrogen is to realize the just and sustainable energy transition strategy promoted by South Korea at the local level. Once a coal industry city with a population of over 130,000, Taebaek faced the crisis of industrial decline, but is now turning that crisis into an opportunity for future energy transition."

He further emphasized, "If Taebaek supported South Korea's industrialization with coal over the past 100 years, in the coming 100 years, we will lead the nation's carbon-neutral economy with clean hydrogen and clean methanol."

Mayor Lee also introduced Taebaek City's ongoing project to establish a clean methanol production facility (with a total project cost of 354 billion won), announcing plans to realize a complete RE100 carbon-neutral system by 2028 through the creation of an annual production system for 22,000 tons of clean methanol, utilizing abundant wind resources and forests preserved for 50 years as biomass.

He added, "In line with the government's goal of producing 500,000 tons by 2030, Taebaek is also rapidly promoting private sector participation and the development of an industrial ecosystem to expand production to over 100,000 tons at the Jangseong Mining Complex site."

Regarding the H2G Initiative (Global Clean Hydrogen Initiative), which was launched on the same day, Mayor Lee evaluated it as "a platform that will drive unprecedented innovation worldwide through an integrated approach to policy, finance, and technology," and stated, "Taebaek City will also establish itself as a leading city in the transition to a clean energy industry by leveraging its global network."

In particular, Mayor Lee presented three directions for global cooperation: ▲ strengthening technology and investment linkages, ▲ sharing knowledge and building international partnerships, and ▲ coordinating policies and systems as well as cooperating on international standards. He added, "Taebaek City will grow into a global model city that realizes a just transition from a coal city to a clean energy city, centered on the clean hydrogen and clean methanol industries."

This forum was attended by Ban Ki-moon, Chair of GGGI, as well as high-level officials from member countries including Fiji, Kenya, Indonesia, and Uganda, and the official launch of the H2G Initiative was declared.

Taebaek City attended as a panelist at the official session of the Global Green Growth Week 2025 (GGGW 2025), titled "Global Clean Hydrogen Forum: Driving Innovation for the Future," held on the 29th at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul. Representing local governments of South Korea, Taebaek City presented its vision for a just transition based on clean hydrogen and clean methanol. Photo by Taebaek City

Taebaek City was introduced as a case of a just transition led by local government, attracting significant international attention. GGGI officials evaluated Taebaek as "a symbolic model that is implementing a new clean energy transition at the end of coal industry restructuring."

A Taebaek City official stated, "The clean transition vision presented at this forum will serve as a catalyst for accelerating Taebaek's transformation into a sustainable future industrial city."

Meanwhile, Taebaek City plans to use this forum as an opportunity to expand international cooperation in the clean hydrogen and clean methanol industries, promote technological and policy exchanges with H2G member countries, and explore joint projects with the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI).

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