Wonik Materials (CEO Han Jeong-wook) has been receiving attention as a leading clean hydrogen company, with government officials visiting the company one after another recently after building a pilot facility for clean hydrogen production using ammonia.

On the 9th, Park Il-joon, 2nd Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, visited Wonik Materials in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province, and inspected the facilities and verification status for producing clean hydrogen from ammonia.

Prior to this, on the 8th, North Chungcheong Province Governor Kim Young-hwan also visited Wonik Materials to inspect the facility and discuss ways to expand the business. Wonik Materials is promoting the production of Korea's first commercial ammonia hydrogen extractor.

In 2014, we started research on ammonia-based hydrogen extraction as a national project with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, and after eight years of persistent research,In 2021, we developed equipment capable of extracting 500 kg of hydrogen per day using purely domestic technology.

In the process of commercializing the developed equipment, as there are still no detailed inspection standards for ammonia-based hydrogen extraction systems in Korea, we were looking for a solution for commercialization, and were selected as a special zone operator for the green hydrogen industry regulation-free special zone project promoted by Chungcheongbuk-do, which enabled us to demonstrate the ammonia hydrogen extractor without regulations.

The ammonia-based hydrogen production project being promoted in the Chungbuk Green Hydrogen Industry Regulatory Free Zone is a project to purify hydrogen extracted from ammonia to a purity of 99.997% or higher and demonstrate its use in semiconductor processes or supplying hydrogen charging stations.

Ammonia was used as a main raw material for fertilizer in the past, but recently it has been gaining attention as a way to economically store, transport, and extract hydrogen, as well as a key means of hydrogen trading between countries.

Meanwhile, on the 9th, when Vice Minister Park Il-jun visited, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced the 'Hydrogen Safety Management Roadmap 2.0', which includes the following key contents: △preemptive safety standard development, △regulatory innovation, and △strengthening safety management capabilities to foster the hydrogen industry centered on clean hydrogen.

According to the announced Hydrogen Safety Management Roadmap 2.0, preemptive safety standards will be developed first to create a clean hydrogen ecosystem.

To promote hydrogen mobility, we will allow hydrogen charging stations for various hydrogen mobility vehicles such as forklifts, trams, trains, and ships, and develop safety standards for fuel cells installed in hydrogen mobility vehicles.

In addition, safety standards for infrastructure related to acquisition, storage, and distribution, such as safety standards for large-capacity ammonia or hydrogen pipelines for power generation for coal-ammonia co-firing and liquefied natural gas (LNG)-hydrogen co-firing, will be developed, while safety standards for various clean hydrogen production facilities, such as water electrolysis and ammonia decomposition, will be established.

In addition, the current temporary safety standards are By institutionalizing safety standards for liquefied hydrogen, anyone can produce and use liquefied hydrogen as long as they comply with safety requirements.

Regulatory innovation is also being promoted to foster the world's number one hydrogen industry.

Hydrogen products in the development stage will be subject to a separate rapid inspection system, and excellent autonomous safety management businesses will be exempted from regular inspections for a certain period, thereby improving the safety management system. In order to activate various hydrogen mobility such as hydrogen buses, commercial vehicles, forklifts, and indoor logistics transport machines, regulations on hydrogen charging stations will be improved, such as self-charging, urban charging stations, and rationalization of indoor charging safety standards.

We are also working to strengthen safety management capabilities to achieve balanced development of safety and industry.

We plan to strengthen safety management by introducing precision safety diagnosis for large-scale hydrogen facilities, hydrogen transport vehicles, etc., making emergency leak prevention devices mandatory, and constructing hydrogen inspection and testing infrastructure such as water electrolysis and liquefied hydrogen without a hitch, while strengthening the safety management capabilities of hydrogen safety-dedicated organizations and businesses through developing hydrogen safety education programs and promoting international cooperation in the field of hydrogen safety.