Pohang City Leads South Korea's Hydrogen Industry as K-Hydrogen Global Innovation City

Carbon Neutral Energy Transition, Rise of Eco-Friendly Renewable Hydrogen-Based Economy

'Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cluster' as Key Initiative, Leading Government Hydrogen Policy Strategy

Establishment of Core Hydrogen Industry Base 'Hydrogen Fuel

Pohang City is accelerating its leap into a ‘K-Hydrogen’ global innovation city utilizing hydrogen, the energy of the future, while focusing its capabilities on leading South Korea’s hydrogen industry.

In July 2021, the Pohang Hydrogen Fuel Cell Certification Center was recognized by KOLAS (Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme) as an accredited testing institution for hydrogen fuel cell systems.

Recently, as carbon neutrality has emerged as a global issue, hydrogen, which emits no pollutants and can be stored and transported on a large scale, is gaining attention as a future eco-friendly energy source.

The city plans to actively foster the government’s key hydrogen policy strategy, the ‘hydrogen fuel cell industry,’ in line with the global energy paradigm shift toward a ‘hydrogen economy.’

In this regard, the city is establishing a ‘hydrogen fuel cell power generation cluster.’ This project will invest a total of 189 billion KRW in an area of 280,240㎡ within the Pohang Blue Valley National Industrial Complex to create an integrated complex by 2027, housing 30 companies related to hydrogen fuel cell components.

Additionally, the city will set up a component and material performance evaluation center equipped with 26 units of 20 types of large-scale core component material evaluation equipment and laboratories for components and materials. Furthermore, demonstration facilities for fuel cells used in homes, buildings, and power generation will be created, and system evaluation facilities will be established to lay the foundation for the localization of fuel cells.

To ensure successful establishment, the city will form a ‘Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cluster Promotion Team’ with companies, research institutes, and universities to establish promotion directions and detailed strategies, attract companies, and support technology development.

This project has been selected as a target for the government’s preliminary feasibility study and has completed the first inspection meeting by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. After undergoing policy evaluation, the final selection results will be announced. The city is working closely with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Gyeongbuk Province to devise response strategies and is making every effort to secure selection.

The city has already established and operates the ‘Hydrogen Fuel Cell Certification Center,’ a core infrastructure for laying the foundation and fostering the fuel cell industry. The center, integrated with 54 types of equipment built as a fuel cell testbed for the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region, opened at Pohang Technopark in 2019 and has been designated as an internationally accredited testing institution by the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS).

Here, in collaboration with companies, support is provided for the development of fuel cell production technologies, localization of core components and materials, and evaluation of product stability and reliability.

In particular, by investing a total of 10 billion KRW (8 billion KRW national funds, 2 billion KRW local funds) by this year to establish 32 types of certification and evaluation equipment for hydrogen fuel cell products and components, once designated as the Korean Industrial Standards (KS) certification entrusted institution in the hydrogen fuel cell field, it is expected to be recognized as the first domestic fuel cell 100 kW-class facility certification and evaluation system, forming the foundation for creating an innovative hydrogen industry ecosystem.

Recently, the government announced a policy to support startups and other companies with hydrogen-related technologies as preliminary specialized companies, aiming to usher in an era of 600 hydrogen-specialized companies by 2030.

Accordingly, Pohang City is laying the cornerstone for becoming a hydrogen economy hub city by proactively implementing the ‘Preliminary Hydrogen Specialized Company Development Support Project’ to discover hydrogen-specialized companies and establish a foundation for their growth.

Last year, through the ‘Hydrogen Fuel Cell Core Component Localization Technology Development Support Project,’ the city achieved results such as supporting patent applications by excellent local technology companies developing various related core components and equipment technologies and inducing the attraction of production factories within the region.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok said, “To catch two rabbits?expanding the hydrogen economy and fostering future new growth industries?we will complete a virtuous cycle value chain covering components, materials, and assembly in the hydrogen fuel cell field,” adding, “We will devote all efforts to activating the fuel cell industry and attracting companies to create new jobs, enabling Pohang to leap forward as the nation’s largest hydrogen fuel cell industry hub city.”