Moon Jae-do, the inaugural chairman of GHIAA, is delivering a welcoming address. (Photo courtesy of H2KOREA)



Delegation from 18 countries, including inaugural Chairman Moon Jae-do, emphasizes 'cooperation' for the hydrogen economy
Hydrogen technology standards and certification systems must be unified to promote investment and trade in hydrogen production.

With the launch of the Global Hydrogen Industry Association (GHIAA), it is set to revitalize multi-faceted public-private support for the hydrogen industry and embark on the full-scale creation of a hydrogen economy ecosystem through active international cooperation.

GHIAA held the '2022 GHIAA Forum' on the 25th at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, with delegations from hydrogen associations in 18 countries attending both online and offline.

At the forum held on this day, GHIAA announced that it held a launch ceremony and founding general meeting and would begin full-scale private-sector-led industrial support activities to revitalize the global hydrogen economy ecosystem.

GHIAA plans to implement the following: supporting the establishment of partnerships between the government and the private sector and creating a hydrogen industry ecosystem; strengthening private sector cooperation activities and promoting international cooperation to accelerate the implementation and activation of the hydrogen economy; and establishing, overseeing, and supporting a hub to support the promotion of private sector projects.

In his welcoming remarks, Moon Jae-do, Chairman of H2KOREA, who was elected as the inaugural Chairman of GHIAA, emphasized, “There are challenges such as laws and systems on the path to a global hydrogen economy,” adding that “cooperation is crucial to realizing a global hydrogen economy.”

He went on to say that in order to promote investment and trade in clean hydrogen production, a certification system for clean hydrogen must be established in harmony globally.

He said, “Currently, hydrogen certification systems vary from country to country, and hydrogen Expressing regret that "even the pressure standards for containers used in automobiles and safety standards for gas stations have not been unified," he said, "If a global consensus is reached on technical standards for hydrogen utilization, predictability regarding hydrogen will increase, allowing the industry to develop faster than expected."

Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, CEO of Hydrogen Europe, said, “It is very important to develop technology together and explore investment plans because Europe needs to import at least half of its 20 million tons of hydrogen. Harmonization of certification systems is essential, and it is also necessary for countries around the world to share experiences and best practices.”

Representatives from other GHIAA member organizations also shared the urgent need for international private-public cooperation and agreed to work together for the development of the hydrogen industry.

Frank Wallach, President of FCHEA in the U.S., stated, “We look forward to achieving success across the entire hydrogen industry in cooperation with GHIAA member companies,” while Jurica George Micketta, Director of DWV in Germany, emphasized the importance of cooperation, saying, “Carbon neutrality is impossible without importing overseas-produced green hydrogen and reliable international partnerships.”

South American countries also joined in. Ricardo Rodríguez, Director of H2CHILE in Chile, stated, “Cross-border joint efforts and commitment are needed to accelerate the energy transition,” while Camilo Uribe, Representative of Hydrogeno COLOMBIA in Colombia, declared, “We will address climate change by promoting the transition to a hydrogen economy and accelerating the reduction of global carbon emissions.”

Meanwhile, Park Il-jun, Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, who participated in the event, expressed his expectations in his congratulatory remarks, stating, “International cooperation is more urgent than anything to leap forward into a global hydrogen economy,” and adding, “GHIAA will play a major role as a global private hydrogen cooperation organization.”

He stated, “The Korean government will also spare no support to promote private-sector international cooperation,” drawing attention to the future of the hydrogen economy.