Hyundai Motor Group is joining hands with Jeju Province to strengthen cooperation in renewable energy fields such as green hydrogen and distributed energy, accelerating Jeju's transition to a carbon-neutral city.
Hyundai Motor Group on the 25th signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the creation of a "Jeju green hydrogen and distributed energy ecosystem" at International Convention Center Jeju, with key officials including Yang Hee-won, president and head of R&D at Hyundai Motor Group; Ken Ramirez, vice president and head of the Energy & Hydrogen Business Division; and Oh Young-hoon, governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, in attendance.
This agreement aims to advance the renewable energy transition centered on green hydrogen and distributed energy in line with Jeju's goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced by splitting water using electricity generated from renewable energy without greenhouse gas emissions, and distributed energy refers to energy produced and consumed in small-scale locations throughout a region.
To this end, Hyundai Motor Group and Jeju Province will strengthen cooperation across the entire hydrogen value chain from production to storage, transport, supply and utilization of hydrogen energy, and will actively cooperate in the distributed energy field centered on building Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) services.
Hyundai Motor Group and Jeju Province agreed through the MOU to cooperate across the entire hydrogen industry process, including technology development to expand green hydrogen production, expanding hydrogen mobility deployment and infrastructure, introducing hydrogen trams, and establishing eco-friendly logistics transport and hydrogen infrastructure for port decarbonization.
Hyundai Motor Group, in collaboration with Jeju Province, plans to develop mass-production technology for 5-megawatt (MW) class PEM (Polymer Electrolyte Membrane) water electrolysis for green hydrogen production at the Gimnyeong wind power complex by 2029, and secure leading green hydrogen production technology through large-scale demonstration projects. Jeju Province will, to expand hydrogen mobility deployment, for the first time provide purchase subsidies for hydrogen passenger cars starting next year, and additionally introduce hydrogen buses and hydrogen-powered garbage trucks. It will also, in collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group, expand hydrogen refueling stations across Jeju.
In addition, they plan to continue cooperation in various areas such as reviewing the expansion of clean hydrogen production facilities based on biogas, considering the introduction of hydrogen trams when building urban rail networks, and building clean logistics transport and hydrogen infrastructure for port decarbonization.
Hyundai Motor Group and Jeju Province will carry out various cooperations to realize sustainable V2G infrastructure, energy self-sufficiency and grid efficiency, including piloting V2G services within distributed energy-specialized areas, commercializing V2G services, promoting the adoption of electric vehicles equipped with V2G functions, attracting policies to expand V2G infrastructure, and improving future power market systems. Furthermore, they plan to cooperate to help Jeju become a key hub for future energy transition and eco-friendly mobility.
Hyundai Motor Group expects that this MOU, based on cooperation across the renewable energy spectrum, will contribute not only to Jeju's achievement of its 2035 carbon-neutral goal but also to the advancement of the region's overall eco-friendly industries.
Yang Hee-won said he expects that this cooperation across renewable energy fields such as green hydrogen and distributed energy will contribute to the energy transition and Jeju's achievement of carbon neutrality by 2035, as well as the K-carbon neutrality initiative, and said the group will continue to take the lead in accelerating a sustainable future society by actively leveraging group capabilities.
Oh Young-hoon, governor of Jeju Province, said the MOU will fully launch an energy transition based on hydrogen and distributed energy, accelerate Korea's achievement of carbon neutrality, and cooperate so Jeju can establish itself as a global center for new energy industries.
Hyundai Motor Group participated in the "2025 Green Hydrogen Global Forum with Global Distributed Energy Forum," which opened on the 24th, and set up a branded exhibition hall inside International Convention Center Jeju, displaying the Hyundai Nexo, Ioniq 9 and V2G charger, introducing its eco-friendly mobility vision.
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