Hyundai Construction Begins Building Korea's First Electrolyzer-Based 'Hydrogen Production Base'

Groundbreaking Ceremony Held on the 30th at Buan Renewable Energy Complex
Completion Scheduled by Year-End with Hydrogen Production Planned for 2025

Hyundai Engineering & Construction announced on the 30th that it has completed the design of Korea's first water electrolysis-based hydrogen production base and has begun construction. A water electrolysis-based hydrogen production base is a plant that produces hydrogen by electrolyzing water with electricity and is capable of storing and supplying hydrogen. Hyundai Engineering & Construction held a groundbreaking ceremony for the water electrolysis-based hydrogen production base at the renewable energy complex in Buan, Jeollabuk-do, and entered the construction phase.

The event was attended by Park Han-seo, Director of the Hydrogen Industry Division at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; Kim Jong-hoon, Deputy Governor of Jeollabuk-do Special Self-Governing Province; Kwon Ik-hyun, County Governor of Buan; Ryu Seong-an, Head of the Plant Business Division at Hyundai Engineering & Construction; and Yoon Sang-jo, Head of the Green Business Division at Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, among others.

Since 2022, Hyundai Engineering & Construction has been carrying out the water electrolysis-based hydrogen production base construction project, a national project led by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, together with Jeollabuk-do, Buan County, Jeonbuk Technopark, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Techross Water & Energy, and Techross Environmental Services. The base under construction within the renewable energy theme park in Buan, Jeollabuk-do, is the largest commercial water electrolysis hydrogen production facility in Korea. After completion, it will produce more than 1 ton (t) of hydrogen per day using a 2.5-megawatt (MW) electrolyzer.

The produced hydrogen will be supplied to hydrogen research facilities and hydrogen charging stations within Buan County. This base will serve as a key hydrogen supply hub in the Buan County hydrogen city development project, playing a pivotal role in leading the establishment of an energy self-sufficient city linked to hydrogen.

Hyundai Engineering & Construction is responsible for the overall design, procurement of equipment, and construction of this project. Specialized personnel dedicated to hydrogen plants were deployed, and the design was completed in December last year. To produce ultra-high purity hydrogen of 99.999% or higher, the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) method was applied. System redundancy was implemented to enhance stability, ensuring smooth operation even in emergencies.

The base construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, followed by commissioning and optimization processes, with full-scale water electrolysis hydrogen production expected to begin in May 2025.

In addition to the Buan water electrolysis-based hydrogen production base, Hyundai Engineering & Construction has secured design capabilities across hydrogen plants by undertaking projects such as the ‘Boryeong Clean Hydrogen Project FEED Design’ and the ‘Jeju 12.5-megawatt (MW) Green Hydrogen Demonstration Plant Conceptual Design.’ Based on this, the company plans to lead the hydrogen ecosystem transition by participating in gigawatt (GW)-scale large-capacity water electrolysis hydrogen plants as well as hydrogen projects utilizing nuclear power.

A Hyundai Engineering & Construction official stated, “Based on the judgment that hydrogen, a core energy source in the carbon-neutral era, will lead the future energy market, Hyundai Engineering & Construction is strengthening its capabilities to lead the hydrogen plant market. To drive the global clean energy transition, we are actively investing in securing specialized personnel and modernizing research facilities for new energy fields such as hydrogen, CCUS, biogas, and small modular reactors, while expanding participation in related projects.”