Pohang City Signs Business Agreement to Promote Hydrogen Fuel Cell Industry

Korea Hydrogen Fuel Cell Industry Association-Energy Industry Promotion Agency-Pohang TP Agreement

Joint Cooperation for Successful Establishment of Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cluster and Related Industry Development

Mayor Lee Kang-deok, "Strengthen

Pohang City has taken proactive steps to respond to the government’s hydrogen economy policy and to establish a foundation for the growth of local companies, aiming to become a central hub for the hydrogen fuel cell industry.

On the 10th, Pohang City signed a “Memorandum of Understanding for the Activation of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Industry” together with the Korea Hydrogen Fuel Cell Industry Association, the Energy Industry Promotion Agency, and Pohang Technopark.

On the 10th, Pohang City signed a "Business Agreement for the Activation of the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Industry" together with the Korea Hydrogen Fuel Cell Industry Association, the Energy Industry Promotion Agency, and Pohang Technopark. (From left: Shin Kyung-jong, Head of Green Energy Center at Pohang Technopark; Lee Kang-deok, Mayor; Kim Yong-chae, Vice Chairman of Korea Hydrogen Fuel Cell Industry Association; Kwon Hyuk-soo, Chairman of Energy Industry Promotion Agency)

The signing ceremony held at Pohang Technopark was attended by about 30 hydrogen industry stakeholders, including Mayor Lee Kang-deok, Kim Yong-chae, Executive Vice President of the Korea Hydrogen Fuel Cell Industry Association, Kwon Hyuk-soo, Chairman of the Energy Industry Promotion Agency, Shin Kyung-jong, Director of the Green Energy Center at Pohang Technopark, and member companies of the Korea Hydrogen Fuel Cell Industry Association such as Busan Green Energy.

This MOU primarily focuses on jointly discovering and cooperating on business support projects to successfully establish a hydrogen fuel cell cluster and promote the development of related industries.

Through this agreement, Pohang City and Pohang TP will identify outstanding hydrogen companies in the region and build a communication network among the signatories, companies, research institutes, and educational institutions, thereby laying the groundwork to expand the scope of activities of local industry-academia-research-government organizations.

Additionally, the Association and the Promotion Agency will promptly provide hydrogen companies in Pohang with technology and industry trend information in the fuel cell sector and jointly participate in local government projects for workforce development and research and development.

Furthermore, the four organizations agreed to share necessary information to establish standards and improve systems that will aid the development of Pohang’s hydrogen fuel cell cluster and the regional hydrogen ecosystem, ensuring that the opinions of local companies are reflected in policy improvements in the fuel cell field.

Along with the signing ceremony, Pohang City joined the Korea Hydrogen Fuel Cell Industry Association as its first special member to build continuous ties with the Association and facilitate smooth communication with companies outside the region, receiving a special membership certificate from the Association.

While the Association has 42 corporate members including the chair company, Pohang City is the first public institution such as a government or local government to join as a special member.

After the signing ceremony, attendees toured the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Certification Center located in the 3rd and 5th Venture Buildings of Pohang Technopark, viewing 44 types of certification equipment and receiving explanations about certification projects in the KOLAS and KS fields.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok stated, “As the first special member of the Korea Hydrogen Fuel Cell Industry Association and a local government cooperation partner, we will do our best to strengthen the competitiveness of hydrogen companies in the region and serve as a central point for governance among industry, academia, research, and government in the hydrogen fuel cell sector.”

The Energy Industry Promotion Agency was established in 2015 to successfully build an energy cluster in the Gyeongbuk region, making it a hub for nurturing new energy industries in Korea, and to secure global competitiveness through organic relationships with related companies.

The Korea Hydrogen Fuel Cell Industry Association, established in 2022 with approval from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, is a non-profit organization leading policy proposals and system improvements to support the domestic and international hydrogen fuel cell industry. In October, Mayor Lee Kang-deok visited the Association to discuss joint cooperation plans for realizing a hydrogen energy renaissance, and based on this, the current agreement was signed to further solidify the partnership.