'Korea's First' Changwon Liquefied Hydrogen Plant Fully Operational

Perspective View of Changwon Liquefied Hydrogen Plant

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 31st that it held a completion ceremony for the 'Changwon Liquefied Hydrogen Plant,' the first commercial-scale liquefied hydrogen production facility in Korea, at the Doosan Enerbility Changwon factory.

This plant was established starting from March 2020 with a total project cost of 95 billion KRW (10 billion KRW from local government funds, 68 billion KRW from private investment, etc.). Doosan Enerbility, Gyeongnam Province, and Changwon City jointly invested in the project. It will produce 5 tons per day and up to 1,825 tons annually of liquefied hydrogen, supplying nearby research institutes, companies, and hydrogen charging stations.

Liquefied hydrogen refers to hydrogen gas cooled to an extremely low temperature (-253℃) to become liquid. Compared to hydrogen gas, its volume can be reduced to 1/800, increasing transportation efficiency by more than 10 times. It is recognized as a key means for large-scale hydrogen transport and promoting the spread of hydrogen commercial vehicles.

Until now, there have been no usage cases domestically, so safety standards for liquefied hydrogen have not been established. Accordingly, the government is supporting the construction of liquefied hydrogen plants and the localization of equipment parts through regulatory sandbox demonstration exceptions.

Domestic technology was applied to the liquefied hydrogen transportation and storage facilities of the Changwon liquefied hydrogen plant. Additionally, liquefied trailers developed by domestic companies will be operated together.

At the completion ceremony, agreements were also signed among local governments, companies, and government-funded institutions regarding the construction of liquefied hydrogen charging stations, the distribution and utilization of hydrogen buses, and the supply and purchase of liquefied hydrogen.

Park Chan-gi, Director of the Hydrogen Economy Policy Division, stated in his congratulatory speech, "With the completion of this liquefied hydrogen plant, Korea has become the ninth country in the world to produce liquefied hydrogen, following the United States, Germany, and Japan." He added, "We will strive to activate the domestic liquefied hydrogen ecosystem through localization of core liquefied hydrogen technologies, legal system improvements and regulatory reforms, and diversification of demand."