The Korean government is speeding up efforts to incorporate hydrogen into municipal gas in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions and expand hydrogen availability.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy established a task force to carry out the project in collaboration with the Korea Gas Corporation, the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning, and others.
South Korea consumes approximately 40 million tons of natural gas per year. By injecting 10% hydrogen, it is possible to reduce natural gas consumption by 1.29 million tons per year, so avoiding the emission of 3.55 million tons of carbon dioxide.
The task committee will begin work on the initiative this year, with the goal of incorporating 20% hydrogen into municipal gas by 2026.
To begin, the task force will initiate a 28 billion won (US$23.4 million) research and development initiative next year to validate the safety of town gas lines and their compatibility with hydrogen through 2025.
The first phase’s infrastructure will be established at the KOGAS Pyeongtaek LNG Terminal, with development scheduled to begin in the second quarter of this year.
The second phase, beginning in 2024, will involve testing hydrogen in the gas lines based on the results of the previous phase.
In 2026, the final phase will include modifying the Urban Gas Business Act to incorporate hydrogen into city gas.
