K-water Focus ② : Water, Nature and Humankind

K-water Focus ②
Taking the first step in the production of green hydrogen
As carbon neutrality has become very important for overcoming the climate crisis, K-water accelerates the production of eco-friendly energy by establishing Korea’s first facility to produce green hydrogen.
Text by Kim Yeong-eun Source K-water

The first commercialization model in the history of the green hydrogen industry

K-water held a ceremony for the completion of building a demonstration facility at Seongnam Water Purification Plant on September 14, 2023, and it plans to establish a commercialization model for a full cycle of green hydrogen including production, distribution, and utilization. Seongnam Metropolitan Water Purification Plant produces green hydrogen through two small hydroelectric generators (0.35 MW) that use the water pressure generated in the process of sending water from the Paldangho Lake water intake source to the purification plant. About 188 kg of green hydrogen per day can be produced by electrolyzing the water of the plant using renewable energy from here. K-water plans to supply about 69 tons of hydrogen annually, which is enough to charge 40 hydrogen-fueled cars (passenger cars) per day. Starting with the establishment of the green hydrogen demonstration facility at Seongnam Metropolitan Water Purification Plant, K-water also plans to expand green hydrogen production gradually using renewable energy from the large hydroelectric power plant owned by the company in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment.

Making a powerful leap toward the achievement of carbon neutrality

Global communities are currently promoting carbon neutrality to overcome the climate crisis, and the importance of the hydrogen industry is increasing as one of the major alternative energies for this. Among them, green hydrogen is eco-friendly hydrogen that does not emit carbon dioxide in the production process, drawing more attention recently. K-water has renewable energy and high-purity water production infrastructure to produce a large volume of green hydrogen. Using these, K-water established the demonstration facility to produce green hydrogen using small hydroelectric power (renewable energy) at Seongnam Metropolitan Water Purification Plant for the first time in Korea, commencing operation. In addition, in July 2022, K-water launched the green hydrogen demonstration research project that uses wind power generators in Sihwa, and it plans to produce green hydrogen from 2024. It also seeks to build a green hydrogen production facility by 2025 using the small hydroelectric power from Miryang Dam.