Pohang City Accelerates Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Generation Cluster Development... Establishing a Hub for the Future Hydrogen Industry

191.5 Billion Won Invested by 2028 to Build a Hydrogen Industry Innovation Hub in Blue Valley Industrial Complex
Orders Placed for Eight Key Large-Scale Equipment Worth 32.4 Billion Won and Research Site Acquisition Completed

Pohang City is accelerating the implementation of the “Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Generation Cluster Establishment Project” to secure leadership in the hydrogen fuel cell industry, which is considered a key future growth engine industry.

On March 10, the city held a mid-term inspection report meeting for the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Generation Cluster Establishment Project at the conference room of the Gyeongsangbuk-do East Coast Regional Headquarters.

Pohang City held a mid-term inspection briefing for the "Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Generation Cluster Construction Project" on the 10th at the Gyeongsangbuk-do East Coast Regional Headquarters conference room. Photo by Pohang City

The meeting was attended by officials from the Future Energy and Hydrogen Division of Gyeongsangbuk-do, the Hydrogen Energy Industry Division of Pohang City, and Pohang Technopark, who reviewed the current status of research site acquisition, construction progress, and equipment establishment plans.

The Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Generation Cluster Establishment Project is being developed over five years, from 2024 to 2028, with a total investment of 191.5 billion won. It will be located on a site of approximately 280,000 square meters within the Pohang Blue Valley National Industrial Complex.

The project’s key facilities will include a Corporate Resident Center, a Parts and Materials Performance Evaluation Center, and a Fuel Cell Demonstration Center. The city plans to attract about 30 hydrogen-related companies to build an innovative ecosystem for the upstream and downstream sectors of the fuel cell industry.

Pohang City aims to complete the ongoing detailed architectural designs by May this year and to begin full-scale construction of the core infrastructure centers within the research site in June, targeting completion of the project by November 2027.

In addition, the city is in the process of acquiring land for research facilities dedicated to parts and materials performance evaluation and demonstration, with site acquisition procedures progressing smoothly.

The establishment of testing and evaluation equipment, which will serve as the core infrastructure for corporate support, is also being accelerated.

This year, the city plans to announce bids and select suppliers for the acquisition of eight large-scale pieces of equipment—including PEMFC stack performance evaluation equipment and SOFC stack module durability evaluation equipment—at a total scale of 32.4 billion won.

These advanced facilities are expected to take approximately 15 months to manufacture and will be installed to coincide with the completion of the equipment building in the second half of next year.

Pohang City will continue to request the central government to fully allocate 28.5 billion won in national funding to ensure that the cluster’s core function of corporate demonstration support is carried out without disruption.

Additionally, during the first quarter project progress report meeting to be hosted by the Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment, the city plans to strongly emphasize both the necessity of the Pohang Cluster and the importance of its timely establishment.

Lee Sangyeob, Director of the Job and Economy Bureau, stated, “The hydrogen fuel cell cluster is a key hub for Pohang to become a global leader in carbon neutrality,” adding, “We will spare no administrative support to ensure that hydrogen-specialized companies can pursue everything from technology development to commercialization in Pohang through a seamless one-stop process.”

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