Administrator Yang Chung-mo of the Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency (SDIA) announces the year 2021 business plan on Feb. 17.

Administrator Yang Chung-mo of the Saemangeum Development and Investment Agency (SDIA) said a massive renewable energy cluster, being built in connection with the planned 3GW Saemangeum renewable energy complex and off-shore wind power farms in southwestern and Gunsan areas will emerge as Korea’s representative energy hub.

Saemangeum is finding a new path on the back of the implementation of Korean New Deal policies.

In order to accelerate a shift into green energies, SDIA plans to build a national integrated R&D complex designed to verify all processes related to renewable energy production, supply and utilization and a green hydrogen production cluster at the Saemangeum Industrial Complex by 2026.

Saemangeum has laid groundwork to build an eco-friendly EV industry ecosystem as GS Global has recently invested into an EV production center.

A self-driving car commercialization project will likely be expanded to cover roads near the Saemangeum Industrial Complex.

SDIA Administrator Yang stressed Saemangeum’s emerging as a future new industry center, citing projects such as SK Group’s investment into a data center and the building of the nation’s first fully renewable energy RE 100 industrial complex.

 
In related developments, SDIA Administrator Yang toured the Wanju hydrogen fueling station for commercial vehicles, the nation’s first such one, and gave words of encouragement to officials of the Jeonbuk Technopark, the operator of the station, on Jan. 12.

The station, opened last June, is capable of charging 22 hydrogen vehicles per hour or three hydrogen buses.

SDIA struck an MOU on the building of the “Saemangeum green hydrogen production cluster” with the Jeollabuk-do provincial government, Gunsan City and five companies on Jan. 19.

Among those on hand at a signing ceremony of the deal were SDIA Administrator Yang, Jeollabuk-do Gov. Song Ha-jin, Gunsan Mayor Kang Im-joon, and representatives from KHNP, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, Hyundai Rotem, Linde Korea, and Hankook Special Gases Co.

The five companies joined in the signing of the agreement last February. The latest agreement has so far brought the total number of signatories to 27.

The MOU calls for forming a close cooperative mechanism among signatories from a survey stage for the successful execution of a feasibility survey research designed to build the Saemangeum green hydrogen production cluster.

Participating institutions and companies have agreed to provide full support to the green hydrogen industry with a focus on the Saemangeum area.

The green hydrogen production cluster project calls for building a center of producing, storing, transporting and utilizing hydrogen, an eco-friendly energy without greenhouse gas emissions.

The project was selected as one of feasibility study and research tasks for hydrogen multi-purpose complex verification by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in December 2019, and it is seeking to be registered with the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

SDIA plans to provide full support such as the provision of the site of the upcoming green hydrogen production cluster.

SDIA Administrator Yang said, “We plan to take preemptive steps to cope with climate change through the building of the Saemangeum green hydrogen production cluster.”