World's Largest 'Incheon Liquefied Hydrogen Plant' Officially Starts Operation... Annual Production of 30,000 Tons

Scale Capable of Charging 5,000 Hydrogen Buses Annually

The world's largest liquefied hydrogen plant, capable of producing 30,000 tons of liquefied hydrogen annually, is set to begin full-scale operation.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that Minister Andeok Geun attended the completion ceremony of the 'Incheon Liquefied Hydrogen Plant' held on the 8th in Seo-gu, Incheon.

The Incheon Liquefied Hydrogen Plant was established by SK E&S with a total investment of 700 billion KRW and plans to produce up to 30,000 tons of liquefied hydrogen annually. This capacity is enough to refuel about 5,000 hydrogen buses per year. SK E&S plans to create a liquefied hydrogen distribution network nationwide by establishing a total of 40 liquefied hydrogen refueling stations across the country by 2026, starting with about 20 locations linked to the Incheon plant within this year.

Incheon Liquefied Hydrogen Plant Panorama.

Liquefied hydrogen is gaseous hydrogen cooled to an ultra-low temperature of -253°C, a highly advanced technology produced only by nine countries worldwide, including the United States, France, Germany, and Japan. Compared to gaseous hydrogen, its volume can be reduced to 1/800, increasing transportation efficiency by more than tenfold. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy expects it to contribute to the expansion of hydrogen mobility, such as hydrogen cars and hydrogen buses. Additionally, due to its ultra-high purity (99.9999%) characteristics, it is expected to be utilized in advanced industries that require large amounts of ultra-high purity hydrogen, such as semiconductors and defense industries.

The government supported related permits and approvals through the industrial convergence regulatory sandbox demonstration exceptions to ensure the smooth establishment of the plant. Furthermore, it plans to continuously strive to revitalize the liquefied hydrogen ecosystem by developing safety standards for the entire liquefied hydrogen lifecycle and supporting research and development (R&D) of core liquefied hydrogen technologies, materials, parts, and equipment.

Minister Andeok Geun said in his congratulatory speech, "Hydrogen is a carbon-free energy source that can simultaneously achieve carbon neutrality and energy security. The government is diligently working with the private sector to accelerate the realization of the hydrogen economy, including the transition to clean hydrogen and the expansion of hydrogen commercial vehicle adoption." He added, "This liquefied hydrogen plant will be a game changer leading a new leap forward for Korea's hydrogen economy."

Meanwhile, at the event, liquefied hydrogen production companies IGE, Hyosung Hydrogen, and Hi Changwon signed a 'Liquefied Hydrogen Supply and Demand Cooperation System Agreement' with the Korea Petroleum Management Service, the hydrogen distribution agency, to establish a stable liquefied hydrogen distribution ecosystem.