K-water Focus ② : Water, Nature and Humankind

K-water Focus ②
Korea ushers in the green hydrogen era
Groundbreaking ceremony for water energy-
based green hydrogen demonstration facilities
Green hydrogen is gaining traction as a future energy source.
The green hydrogen era has opened in Korea.
Korea has started constructing green hydrogen demonstration facilities
that use hydro power to generate electricity without emitting greenhouse gases,
laying the foundation to join the ranks of global green hydrogen leaders.
Written by by Choi Haeng-jwa Photos by Kim Beom-ki

First Hydro Power Generation Project in Korea

On July 21, the groundbreaking ceremony for water energy-based green hydrogen demonstration facilities was held at the Seongnam Metropolitan Water Treatment Plant. The ceremony was attended by Hwa-jin Han, the minister of environment, K-water CEO Park Jae-hyeon, Yeong-geun Jang, the deputy mayor of Seongnam City, and Lee Chang-geun, vice president of the Korea Institute of Energy Research, as well as distinguished guests like Hyundai Motors Vice President Won-ha Yoo, SK E&S CEO Chu Hyeo-uk, and Techwin CEO Jeong Bung-ik.

Hydrogen is classified into three categories according to the production method. Eco-friendly(green) hydrogen is produced by electrolyzing water using only renewable energy. Reformed(grey) hydrogen is generated through steam reforming of fossil fuels. By-product hydrogen is extracted as a by-product in petrochemical or steel-making processes.
The green hydrogen demonstration facility project is the first case of using hydro power generation, with a total of KRW 3.08 billion invested in the project by the Climate Response Fund. Since hydro power is more energy-efficient than solar or wind power generation, producing green hydrogen using water energy can be more cost-effective than other types of renewable energy. In the project, the private and public sectors will work together to create best practices for the entire cycle of green hydrogen production from generation to distribution and utilization by 2023.
Minister of Environment Hwa-jin Han said, “Once completed, the green hydrogen demonstration project using hydro power at the Seongnam Metropolitan Water Treatment Plant will serve as a benchmark and play an important role in expanding the hydrogen economy across the country.”

Water Energy-Based Production of Green Hydrogen

Following the groundbreaking ceremony, K-water, the City of Seongnam, Hyundai Motors, and SK E&S signed an agreement on creating the entire green hydrogen cycle(production, distribution, & utilization).
According to the agreement, K-water will install green hydrogen demonstration facilities at the Seongnam Metropolitan Water Treatment Plant. The facilities will use 3,438MWh of electricity(hydro power) generated from water inflows from the Paldang Dam to the water treatment plant to purify and electrolyze water.
In this way, the facilities will be able to produce some 69 tons of green hydrogen per year, which is equivalent to approximately 188kg of hydrogen per day, enough to charge 40 hydrogen-fueled vehicles. Leveraging the successful green hydrogen demonstration project at the Seongnma Metropolitan Water Treatment Plant, K-water plans to fully adopt the green hydrogen production method using renewable energy nationwide including the Chungju Dam(hydroelectric 6MW) and Miryang Dam(hydrogen power 1.3MW)
K-water CEO Park Jae-hyeon said, “K-water will play a key role in catapulting Korea to the ranks of global green hydrogen leaders by producing green hydrogen based on water energy.”

※ This interview was conducted in accordance with the COVID-19 safety rules.