World's First Carbon-Neutral Hydrogen Apartment Implemented
Establishment of Eco-Friendly Hydrogen City Transportation System Infrastructure
Ulsan City has completed the nation’s first ‘Hydrogen Pilot City’ project, which has been underway since 2019, and will hold a completion ceremony for the hydrogen pilot city project at 2 p.m. on the 25th at the With You Apartments in Yuldong District, Buk-gu, the world’s first carbon-neutral apartment complex.
The event will be attended by about 100 people, including Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom, Lee Sang-joo, Director General of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Urban Policy Bureau, Acting Chairperson Kim Jong-seop of the Ulsan City Council, Seo Beom-su, Member of the National Assembly for Ulju-gun, Yoon Jong-oh, Member of the National Assembly for Buk-gu, Yoon Doo-hwan, President of Ulsan Urban Corporation, and Lee Dong-seok, CEO of Hyundai Motor Company.
The event will include a report on the project progress, the unveiling ceremony of the Yuldong hydrogen fuel cell combined heat and power plant, and a tour.
The hydrogen pilot city refers to a city where a hydrogen ecosystem is established, covering all processes from hydrogen production and transportation to utilization, and where hydrogen is used as the main energy source.
In 2019, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport selected three locations as hydrogen pilot cities: Ulsan, Ansan in Gyeonggi Province, and Wanju and Jeonju in Jeonbuk Province.
Accordingly, Ulsan City established a hydrogen city plan and began construction in January 2020, leading to the completion ceremony held today.
A total of 48.7 billion KRW (20 billion KRW from the national government, 20 billion KRW from local government, and 8.7 billion KRW from private investment) was invested in this project. Utilizing the already constructed hydrogen pipelines (188 km) centered on the industrial complex, the network was connected from Taehwagang Station to the Yuldong hydrogen fuel cell combined heat and power plant in Yangjeong-dong, Buk-gu (10.5 km).
The electricity produced from hydrogen at the Yuldong hydrogen fuel cell combined heat and power plant is sold to KEPCO, and the waste heat generated is supplied as hot water and heating to 437 apartment units in the Yuldong district, realizing the world’s first carbon-neutral hydrogen apartment complex with zero greenhouse gas emissions.
Additionally, hydrogen pipelines were connected to the hydrogen bus and Line 1 hydrogen tram charging stations centered around Taehwagang Station, as well as the Taehwagang Station hydrogen charging station, establishing an uninterrupted eco-friendly hydrogen city transportation system infrastructure and creating a full-cycle infrastructure that differentiates Ulsan from other cities.
To integrate and safely manage hydrogen-related facilities, an ‘Integrated Safety Management Center’ was established within the Yuldong hydrogen fuel cell combined heat and power plant. Through this, advanced safety management technologies for hydrogen and pipelines were applied, contributing to alleviating citizens’ concerns about hydrogen by operating a safe hydrogen city.
Furthermore, a hydrogen exhibition hall was installed inside the Ulsan Tourist Information Center at Taehwagang Station, allowing citizens to directly observe the use of hydrogen energy. This not only increases community acceptance but also serves as an experiential education venue on hydrogen energy for elementary, middle, and high school children and youth.
Lee Sang-joo, Director General of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s Urban Policy Bureau, stated, “The hydrogen pilot city project will create synergy with hydrogen policies and projects from other ministries (such as the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy) and related companies’ hydrogen industry promotion within the region,” adding, “We hope Ulsan will play a leading role in becoming the world’s top hydrogen city.”
Mayor Kim Doo-gyeom said, “With Ulsan successfully completing the nation’s first hydrogen pilot city project, it is expected to establish itself as an ‘eco-friendly hydrogen-leading city’ suitable for the era of globalization,” and added, “We will do our best to expand infrastructure such as the Ulsan-type hydrogen city project so that Ulsan can continuously grow as a hydrogen city utilizing hydrogen.”
Even after the successful completion of the hydrogen pilot city project, Ulsan City plans to continue expanding its hydrogen infrastructure by pursuing additional projects through 2028.
Including 14.75 billion KRW in national funds secured by being selected for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s ‘Hydrogen City Creation Project’ public contest in September 2024, a total of 29.5 billion KRW will be invested over four years until 2028 to create a differentiated Ulsan-type hydrogen city in Buk-gu and the Ulsan Mipo National Industrial Complex.
Ulsin City Hall.
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