South Korea‘s Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy said on Tuesday that the government would install 310 hydrogen charging stations across the country without delay following its hydrogen policy vision to promote the cleanest energy for automobiles.
Under the plan, the government will finish building 310 charging station units for hydrogen fuel cell cars comprised of 250 in major cities and 60 on expressways. According to the ministry, the number of hydrogen car users will reach 67,000 by 2022, demanding growth of 1200 units by 2040.
Automobile running on hydrogen only creates water as an end waste in the process of generating power. It is an environment-friendly alternative to fossil fuels and can also be produced as a byproduct of industrial facilities or from processing LNG.
A ministry official said, “We plan to build hydrogen stations taking into account various factors, including the total number of registered hydrogen cars, population, and traffic volume per region.” The official noted that “By the end of this year, we will already have 86 stations.”
Building a society that harnesses hydrogen as the primary source of energy has been sought by South Korea. The hydrogen policy is considered one of the main projects pursued by President Moon Jae-in with a vision to promote clean energy vehicles.
“When the country meets the target of supplying 67,000 units of hydrogen cars into the market by 2022, the annual demand for hydrogen will also reach around 30,000 tons,” the ministry said in a statement. “We plan to meet such demand by supplying hydrogen through various means.”
Achieving the target means drivers will be within 30 minutes of a charging station, which will shorten to 15 minutes by 2040.
South Korea will also fund research to provide faster charging times to drivers and will add hydrogen tanks to existing gas, LPG, and CNG stations.
“Amid the public’s rising awareness over the safety of hydrogen, South Korea will bolster related rules and regulations to meet standards of advanced economies,” the official said in a statement. “We will also open a new organization devoted to maintaining the safety of hydrogen.”
