Wanju-gun Emerges as Korea's Only 'Hydrogen Fuel Cell Certified City'

Secured All Three Certification Bodies for Fuel Cells Before and After Use

[Wanju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho] Wanju County has laid the foundation to become the only fuel cell certification city in Korea by attracting all three institutions and projects related to fuel cell certification ‘before use’ and ‘after use’.

According to Wanju County on the 23rd, following the ‘Hydrogen Product Inspection Support Center’ (Korea Gas Safety Corporation), which certifies fuel cells under 100kW, it has succeeded in attracting the ‘Energy Storage System (ESS) Safety Evaluation Center’ (Korea Electrical Safety Corporation), which certifies fuel cells over 100kW.

The Hydrogen Product Inspection Support Center will be built on a research site (30,276㎡) in the 2nd Industrial Complex of Wanju Techno Valley and will conduct inspections on hydrogen extractors, water electrolysis facilities, hydrogen fuel cells, and hydrogen product manufacturing facilities.

Also, the ESS Safety Evaluation Center, to be built nearby on a 16,900㎡ site, will establish a comprehensive safety evaluation system for hydrogen fuel cells, solar power, and ESS.

A total of 49.9 billion KRW will be invested in building the Hydrogen Product Inspection Support Center by 2023, and 46.6 billion KRW will be invested in constructing the ESS Safety Evaluation Center by 2025.

Additionally, Wanju County was selected for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s ‘2021 Industrial Innovation Infrastructure Construction Contest Project’ for the ‘Post-Use Fuel Cell Infrastructure Project,’ which will establish certification standards for reused fuel cells.

This project is expected to invest a total of 19.5 billion KRW by 2025 to provide technical support and establish a certification foundation for the reuse, recycling, and remanufacturing of fuel cells.

According to Wanju County, the budget to be invested in the three institutions and projects is approximately 116 billion KRW.

Wanju County expects that once the construction of these institutions and project implementation are in full swing, it will be possible to complete the country’s first one-stop system for hydrogen fuel cell testing, evaluation, and certification.

Above all, regarding fuel cells, which are the core of the hydrogen economy, the home and building markets are rapidly expanding alongside hydrogen electric vehicles, and the power generation market is also expected to grow faster as the Hydrogen Power Obligation System (HPS) will be implemented from next year.

Once the ‘ESS Safety Evaluation Center’ and ‘Hydrogen Product Inspection Support Center’ are fully operational, and the certification foundation for the reuse and recycling of ‘post-use fuel cells’ is firmly established in connection with these, it is anticipated that the aggregation of domestic hydrogen companies in Wanju County will also be possible.

Park Seong-il, the governor of Wanju County, said, “With the attraction of the Hydrogen Product Inspection Support Center and ESS Safety Evaluation Center, and the promotion of the post-use fuel cell infrastructure project, Wanju County has become able to stand tall as the ‘only fuel cell certification city in Korea.’ We will strive to lead the domestic hydrogen economy centered on the establishment of a one-stop certification system.”

Wanju=Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Han-ho stonepeak@asiae.co.kr