▲ Completion ceremony held on Wednesday, September 24th, at the Buan Renewable Energy Theme Park, debuting as Korea's first commercial clean hydrogen production infrastructure facility

▲ Secures core capabilities in the hydrogen energy sector, speeding up its advance into the global energy transition market

Hyundai E&C has taken a major step toward a hydrogen society by completing the construction of Korea's first commercial water electrolysis-based hydrogen production facility.

On Wednesday, September 24th, Hyundai E&C held a completion ceremony for the water electrolysis-based hydrogen production facility at the Renewable Energy Theme Park located in Buan County, Jeonbuk State. The event was attended by approximately 100 officials from local governments and related institutions, including Kim Jong-hoon, Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs of Jeonbuk State; Kwon Ik-hyeon, Mayor of Buan County; Kim Jae-young, President of the Hyundai E&C R&D Center; and Kim Hyeong-il, Head of the Energy Mix Business Division at Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power.

The newly completed hydrogen production facility is a project selected in 2022 through a public tender for the ‘Establishment of a Water Electrolysis-Based Hydrogen Production Facility,’ organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The project involved constructing a facility capable of hydrogen production, storage, and supply using water electrolysis (splitting water with electric current) technology on a site of approximately 5,000 m² within the Buan County Renewable Energy Theme Park.

In this project, carried out in collaboration with Jeonbuk State, Buan County, Jeonbuk Technopark, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, Techcross Water & Energy, and Techcross Environmental Services, Hyundai E&C was responsible for the overall design, equipment, tool, and material procurement, and construction, deploying its specialized workforce in the hydrogen plant sector. By the end of this year, Hyundai E&C will complete operational optimization and system stabilization through a commissioning phase, and from 2026, the facility is scheduled to produce over one ton of hydrogen per day, the largest scale for commercial water electrolysis-based hydrogen in Korea. One ton of hydrogen is enough to refuel about 150 vehicles, and the hydrogen produced at this facility will be supplied to hydrogen research facilities and hydrogen charging stations within Buan County.

Water electrolysis, which produces hydrogen by splitting water with electricity, is dubbed 'green hydrogen' when electricity from renewable energy sources is used, as it generates no greenhouse gases. It is considered one of the core technologies for a future hydrogen society. Buan County, where the production hub is located, has secured Korea's largest renewable energy base, including the Southwest Offshore Wind Farm and the Saemangeum Floating Solar Power project. The Renewable Energy Theme Park itself also houses research and production facilities related to solar, wind, and hydrogen energy, making it an advantageous location for green hydrogen production and utilization.

Notably, following the completion of the hydrogen production hub, Hyundai E&C is also carrying out the service contract for the ‘Establishment of a Master Plan and Detailed Facility Plan for the Buan Hydrogen City Development Project,’ and is expected to play a leading role in building an eco-friendly, energy-independent city in the Jeonbuk and Buan regions using hydrogen energy.

A Hyundai E&C official stated, “We are extremely pleased to have successfully completed the construction of Korea's first commercial water electrolysis-based hydrogen production hub.” The official added, “Hyundai E&C plans to contribute to the establishment of the Hyundai Motor Group's hydrogen ecosystem by participating in projects across the entire hydrogen value chain—including production, transportation, and storage—and thereby strengthening our capabilities.”

In addition to the Buan water electrolysis-based hydrogen production hub, Hyundai E&C is actively participating in a wide range of hydrogen infrastructure projects, including ▲the demonstration of Korea's first 100kW-class high-temperature water electrolysis system module ▲development of a large-capacity 5MW-class plant-type Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) water electrolysis system ▲establishment of the master plan for the Uljin Hydrogen City Development Project ▲demonstration of nuclear-linked (10MW-class) clean hydrogen production facility. In conjunction with these efforts, the company plans to solidify its leading position in the global clean energy market by securing technology and strengthening capabilities in new energy fields such as offshore wind, solar power, Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS), biogas, and Small Modular Reactors (SMR).