The South Korean province of South Chungcheong has announced plans to invest won 10.9 trillion (USD 7.8bn) by 2030 to build the largest eco-friendly hydrogen industrial cluster in the country.
Kim Tae-heum, the governor of the Western province, yesterday signed 19 business agreements with companies due to participate in the West Coast Hydrogen Industry Belt, including subsidiaries of Linde, Lotte, Hanwha, and Hyundai; three local power suppliers that will convert coal-fired power plants to run at least partly on hydrogen and ammonia; as well as universities and local governments.
The province, south of Seoul and known informally as Chungnam, also announced a series of goals for 2040: 1.2 million tonnes of hydrogen production; 20GW of hydrogen co-fired and fuel-cell power generation; the establishment of ten hydrogen cities; 200 “hydrogen specialized companies; the supply of 50,000 H2-powered vehicles and the installation of 180 hydrogen refuelling stations.