At the Sejong Government Complex, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport will host a briefing on the hydrogen city creation project for local governments from all around the nation in preparation for the building of a new hydrogen city in 2024.
For the first time ever, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport intends to choose three hydrogen pilot cities and finish them off one after the other this year.
A “Memorandum of Understanding on Hydrogen Production, Distribution, Storage, and Utilization in the City” was signed between the two nations during President Yoon Seok-state yeol’s visit to the UAE in January, and this project to develop a hydrogen city is receiving attention as a means of reviving the hydrogen economy.
In order to employ hydrogen energy sources in apartment buildings, buildings, and transportation facilities, it is necessary to create urban infrastructure such as hydrogen production facilities, transit facilities, and utilization facilities. This is anticipated to help achieve carbon neutrality by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but it is also anticipated to boost the local economy by reviving industries associated to hydrogen, such as fuel cells, and by creating jobs.
For the first time ever, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport chose three hydrogen pilot cities (Ulsan, Ansan, Jeonju, and Wanju) in 2019. It is anticipated that this year, as the hydrogen pilot cities are finished one at a time, they will provide substantial results.
The 2024 new hydrogen city development project is a national balanced development special accounting city and province autonomous organization, in contrast to the hydrogen pilot city selected in 2019 (selected through general accounting and public offering), in which the government plan is finalized following a project application from a local government that has been approved by the central government. It is carried out as a project in accordance with the Special Account for Balanced National Development’s schedule for budget preparation.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport evaluates the project’s appropriateness when each local government develops a project plan and submits a budget application (in April), and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance evaluates the budget when it is submitted (in August), before deciding whether or not to reflect the government bill and finalizing it at the end of the year after consideration at the National Assembly.
The project to build a new hydrogen city in 2024 will cost a total of 40 billion won (20 billion won in national funds and 20 billion won in local funds), including the funding for the three hydrogen pilot cities chosen in 2019. Six local governments (Pyeongtaek, Namyangju, Dangjin, Boryeong, Gwangyang, and Pohang) will commence new hydrogen city projects starting this year, with full-scale development expected to begin the following year.
In the meantime, the hydrogen city idea, specifics of the infrastructure development project for the hydrogen city, support scale and timeframe, and future project promotion schedule will be presented during this briefing session.
