Discussing hydrogen production, transportation, power generation, safety, and infrastructure strategies
Diversifying demand sources for hydrogen as an energy source is necessary.
Hydrogen Technology Development Roadmap Planned for Completion by September

Domestic hydrogen energy technology development is expected to begin in earnest.

On the 4th, the Ministry of Science and ICT held a public-private joint general meeting at the Seoul Textile Center to establish a 'Hydrogen Technology Development Roadmap'.

While sharing the technology development strategy derived through the operation of the five expert committee subcommittees (production, storage/transportation, utilization (transportation), utilization (power generation), safety/environment/infrastructure), we also explored ways to strengthen the execution of the technology roadmap and secure core source technologies in the hydrogen energy field.

This meeting, the second of its kind following the kick-off meeting held in March, was attended by approximately 100 people, including government officials and experts from industry, academia, and research who are involved in developing the technology roadmap.

In the first meeting, Director Jong-hee Han of the Clean Technology Research Institute at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), who is in charge of the operation of the expert committee, summarized the progress of establishing the technology roadmap.

Director Han Jong-hee said, “Although the development competition in the hydrogen and fuel cell fields is intensifying worldwide, it is still in its early stages.”He said, “In a situation where there are risks related to future technologies, it is important for the government to create initial conditions for private sector market entry in order to leap forward as a technology-leading country.”

He continued, “In this roadmap, we will closely analyze the current level of domestic technology maturity and competitiveness to derive a technology acquisition strategy suited to the characteristics of each technology,” and “We will focus on organically linking technology development strategies for each field.”

In the panel discussion that followed, Professor Hong Seong-an of Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Professor Bu Kyung-jin of Seoul National University, Professor Seol Yong-geon of Yonsei University, Senior Researcher Kim Jong-won of Korea Institute of Energy Research, and Senior Researcher Lim Tae-hoon of KIST participated as panelists and discussed ways to strengthen the execution power of the technology roadmap.

Participants particularly cited the past experience of raising the domestic technological level by establishing a hydrogen economy master plan and operating a large-scale national project team, and urged bold investment in technologies appropriate for the Korean environment, building on past experiences in the current increasingly complex and diversified situation.

In the second meeting, the subcommittee chairs of the five divisions presented the detailed technology-specific development goals derived through discussions within each division and the mid- to long-term technology development strategies to achieve them, and exchanged opinions with other divisions.

To revitalize the hydrogen economy, it is necessary to diversify and expand the demand for hydrogen as an energy source based on a stable and economical hydrogen supply. Furthermore, it is necessary to maintain technological superiority to lead international standards and ensure safety throughout the entire hydrogen cycle.

Going forward, we plan to continue to coordinate the technology development strategies developed by each division through ongoing discussions between divisions to ensure consistency and enhance effectiveness within the broader framework.
 
Professor Han Moon-hee of Chungnam National University, who serves as the chair of the civilian committee, said, “In addition to harmoniously organizing strategies for each field, we will develop a technology roadmap that will allow us to ‘select and focus’ on promising areas based on our strengths.”

Go Seo-gon, Director General of Basic Research Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, “Related ministries will work together to ensure that the technology roadmap is not just a slogan but has the power to be implemented.”

Meanwhile, the hydrogen technology development roadmap is scheduled to be completed by September.