Hyundai Motor Group has built its first waste-to-hydrogen (W2H) clean hydrogen production facility in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. The company plans to increase the average daily hydrogen output from the current 500 kilograms to 2 tons in 2030 to help the region shift to an eco-friendly energy system.
Hyundai Motor Group said on the 9th that it held a completion ceremony for "HTWO ENERGY Cheongju" in Cheongju, North Chungcheong. HTWO ENERGY Cheongju is the first resource-circulating hydrogen production and refueling complex that Hyundai Motor Group operates directly. The facility produces and supplies clean hydrogen using biogas extracted from sewage sludge waste generated in the Cheongju area, and it was built on the site of a public sewage treatment plant measuring about 7,500 square meters.
Hyundai Motor Group focused on Cheongju's geographic position as a key hub for hydrogen logistics and distribution. In addition, its final selection last year as a target for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's "hydrogen city development project" decisively influenced the site choice. Cheongju is comprehensively pursuing systematic management of hydrogen infrastructure, expansion of hydrogen mobility, a shift to an eco-friendly transportation system, and increased clean energy production.
HTWO ENERGY Cheongju can produce about 500 kilograms of hydrogen per day. That is enough to refuel about 100 Nexo hydrogen fuel cell passenger cars and about 30 hydrogen fuel cell buses. Hyundai Motor Group plans to expand the average daily hydrogen production at this facility to 2 tons by 2030. All hydrogen produced will be supplied to North Chungcheong Province and Cheongju, contributing to the region's transition to an eco-friendly energy system and to achieving carbon neutrality.
Once HTWO ENERGY Cheongju goes into full operation, it will be able to reduce the expense incurred in transporting and storing hydrogen produced in other regions, securing economic feasibility while increasing hydrogen resource independence in Cheongju and nearby areas.
Seo Gang-hyun, president in charge of corporate planning and coordination at Hyundai Motor Group, said, "HTWO ENERGY Cheongju is a case of building a circular economy model based on 'local production for local consumption,' which converts local waste resources into hydrogen, a clean energy, and consumes it again within the region," adding, "Hyundai Motor Group will actively contribute to helping Cheongju establish itself as a leading inland hydrogen business city representing Korea, and using this as a springboard, we will expand the local self-reliant hydrogen production model to the global market."