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

Korea Gas Corp. (KOGAS) is putting out all the stops to brace for the launch of an era led by the hydrogen economy.
KOGAS is doing its best to make the nation a hydrogen industry leader. 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, 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. 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.

KOGAS plans to aggressively participate in the whole cycle of the hydrogen industry, including hydrogen production, supply, distribution and technology development. To this end, the company plans to plunk down 4.7 trillion won by 2030.

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 portfolio has already been 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 expand an in-house hydrogen department.

KOAS President Chae-hee-bong, Gangwon-do Gov. Choi Moon-soon and Samcheok Mayor Kim Yang-ho attend a ceremony in which KOGAS signed an MOU on the establishment of hydrogen infrastructure in Gangwon-do at the National Assembly last Dec. 11. (Photos: KOGAS)

Last year, KOGAS spearheaded the establishment of a special purpose company specializing in installing and operating hydrogen filling stations in cooperation with 13 companies and organizations.

The special purpose company Hynet was launched in March 2019. KOGAS will devote itself in building hydrogen charging infrastructure through Hynet, which aims to install 100 hydrogen filling stations by 2022.

Keys of the hydrogen economy are production and hydrogen supply. 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 will be established and operated next year.

Gwangju Metropolitan City and Changwon City have been designated as hydrogen production centers, in which hydrogen extraction and delivery facilities are to be built in the second half of this year.

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.

Natural gas reform is the most feasible hydrogen production method, at least in the initial stage of the hydrogen economy era.

KOGAS is accelerating efforts to develop related technologies on top of infrastructure. The company plans to funnel 300 billion won by 2030 into achieving technology self-sufficiency in all value chains.

In particular, KOGAS plans to establish a step-by-step technology development roadmap on all areas like the localization of natural gas reforming and carbon capture technologies.

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

KOGAS will collaborate with the private sector to build an ecosystem for the hydrogen gen industry and spearhead efforts to shift to hydrogen energy-oriented, eco-friendly energies by participating in the whole cycle of the hydrogen industry like hydrogen production, supply, distribution, and technology development as well as systematic safety management.