President Chae Hee-bong of Korea Gas Corp. and KOGAS Senior Executive Vice President Sung Young-gyu, and Gimhae Vice Mayor Cho Hyun-myung attend a ground-breaking ceremony for hydrogen production and charging station in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do, on Jan. 16. (Photos: KOGAS)

President Chae Hee-bong of Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS)

The hydrogen economy era is dawning. As global warming and fine dust have become social issues, hydrogen, boasting neither shortages nor harmful emissions, has emerged as an alternative energy source to replace fossil fuels.

Advanced countries have been scrambling to popularize hydrogen cars and accelerate efforts to build hydrogen infrastructure. Japan has come up with a plan to put hydrogen power plants on line and expand hydrogen cars to 800,000 units. It is also installing 900 hydrogen charging stations by 2030.

The Unites States aims to see the portion of hydrogen cars surge to 27 percent by 2050, while Germany targets 500,000 hydrogen cars and 400 charging stations by 2023.

Korea is also accelerating efforts to nurture the hydrogen industry. The government has selected hydrogen as one of the nation’s top three strategic investment sectors. It announced a roadmap to boost the hydrogen economy in January 2019.

In accordance with the government’s policies on the hydrogen economy, Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) is getting nimbler to make preparations for the onset of the hydrogen economy era.

Energy experts predict that hydrogen, produced by natural gas reforming, will play a leading role in the initial era of hydrogen economy. KOGAS, specializing in natural gas business, can produce and transport hydrogen using gas pipelines, stretching 4,908 km across the nation and 411 supply management centers.

In April 2019, KOGAS announced a hydrogen business master plan. Its vision is to lead investment into the pump-priming of the national hydrogen industry.

It called for spearheading the establishment of a special purpose company specializing in installing and operating hydrogen filling stations in cooperation with 10 companies and organizations with the goal of hydrogen-related power generation and installing 100 hydrogen filling stations by 2022.

KOGAS has overhauled in-house regulations and systems to shore up leadership in the hydrogen economy. A revision to include the hydrogen business in KOGAS’s business portfolio has already approved and the articles of associations have been amended.

The steps have clarified KOGAS’s responsibilities as an entity to nurture the hydrogen industry and expanded an in-house hydrogen department. KOGAS plans to build 25 hydrogen production facilities by 2030. It is out to lower hydrogen production unit prices by making production facilities large-scale.

The corporation plans to have 500 tube trailers and built hydrogen pipelines stretching 700 km in length and build hydrogen transportation infrastructure in five metropolitan cities - Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Gwangju and Daejeon.

In January, KOGAS held a groundbreaking ceremony for a hydrogen production and charging station in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do. The hydrogen production and charging station is to be dedicated on the lot of KOGAS’ Busan-Gyeongnam Regional Headquarters in August.

Hydrogen production and delivery facilities are to be put into operation in August. 2021. The hydrogen production and charging station will be capable of charging 50 hydrogen cars and nine buses daily.

KOGAS President Chae Hee-bong said, “KOGAS will implement the hydrogen business roadmap without interruptions to help Korea secure leadership in the future low-carbon, eco-friendly hydrogen energy era.”