Hyosung and Linde have broken ground for a project to produce 13,000 tons of liquid hydrogen annually.

On the 21st, Hyosung and Linde held a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a Hyosung-Linde joint hydrogen liquefaction plant at the Hyosung Chemical Yongyeon Plant 3 site in Ulsan.

The event was attended by Hyosung Group Chairman Cho Hyun-joon, Linde Korea Chairman Sung Baek-seok, Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Park Jin-gyu, and Ulsan Mayor Song Cheol-ho.

The hydrogen liquefaction plant being built this time will be the world's largest single-scale liquefied hydrogen plant with an annual capacity of 13,000 tons and a daily capacity of 30 tons.

The 13,000 tons of liquid hydrogen produced annually at the plant, which is scheduled to be completed in 2023, is enough to fuel 100,000 cars per year.

The two companies plan to expand the production capacity to 39,000 tons per year in the mid- to long-term.

To build this hydrogen liquefaction plant, Hyosung Hydrogen Co., Ltd., a liquefied hydrogen sales corporation, and Linde Hydrogen Co., Ltd., a production corporation, were established in February.

Hyosung Hydrogen plans to build a hydrogen charging infrastructure in approximately 120 locations nationwide in time for the completion of the liquefied hydrogen plant, ensuring the smooth supply of its products.

Liquefied hydrogen is hydrogen that has been liquefied by cooling gaseous hydrogen to an extremely low temperature (-253℃). It has a volume of 1/800 of that of gaseous hydrogen, making it easy to store and transport. It's easy.

In particular, the charging time for a passenger car using liquid hydrogen is four times faster, at just three minutes compared to the 12 minutes required for gaseous hydrogen. This significantly reduces the charging time for large vehicles (25 kg) requiring high-capacity hydrogen fuel, and is expected to expand the market for large hydrogen vehicles such as hydrogen buses and trucks.

It is also expected to contribute to revitalizing the hydrogen economy by diversifying the use of hydrogen energy in various mobility fields such as vehicles, drones, ships, and forklifts.

In Korea, large-scale facility investments are being made, including Hyosung-Linde and SK, which are planning to build a liquefied hydrogen production facility with an annual capacity of 30,000 tons.

At the event, a joint hydrogen business vision declaration ceremony was held between Hyosung and Linde, and a business agreement was signed between Ulsan Metropolitan City, Hyosung, and Linde to develop the hydrogen economy in Ulsan Metropolitan City.

Hyosung and Linde plan to build liquid hydrogen infrastructure with a joint investment of approximately KRW 300 billion and, based on this, leap forward as a leading company in hydrogen production and hydrogen energy.

Furthermore, through a business agreement for the development of the hydrogen economy in Ulsan City, the city will work with the industry to build optimal large-capacity hydrogen charging stations, expand the liquefaction plant currently under development, localize related equipment, and expand green hydrogen production.

In his congratulatory speech at the groundbreaking ceremony, Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Park Jin-gyu, who attended the event that day, said, “In order to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, a transition to a hydrogen economy based on clean hydrogen is essential, and preemptive large-scale infrastructure investment by the private sector will be of great help.” He also expressed his will to “The government will not spare support for expanding the foundation of the domestic hydrogen industry ecosystem through bold regulatory reform and intensive fostering of hydrogen specialized companies.”