POSCO Unveils Blueprint for ‘Southeastern Region of Korea K-GX Cluster’ Led by HyREX

[Financial News] POSCO Group will unveil its vision for a ‘K-Green Transformation (GX) ecosystem’ that will establish the southeastern region of Korea as a decarbonized industrial cluster, centered on HyREX (hydrogen-reduction ironmaking technology). The plan is to secure commercialization technology for hydrogen-reduction ironmaking based on government support for decarbonization policies and HyREX demonstration facilities, while bringing together the group’s capabilities in steel, energy, and construction.
POSCO Group announced on the 14th that it will participate in the ‘2026 Climate Industry International Expo,’ held at BEXCO in Busan from July 16 to 18, to showcase the group’s decarbonization technology capabilities.
The Climate Industry International Expo is an international event jointly hosted by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, the International Energy Agency (IEA), and the World Bank to lead efforts to address the climate crisis and advance decarbonization. This year’s event will be held under the theme ‘The Great Change Created by Climate Tech: A Leap Toward a Decarbonized World,’ with discussions on the latest climate technologies and global cooperation on decarbonization.
Under the concept ‘POSCO Opens the K-GX Ecosystem with Decarbonized Steel,’ POSCO Group will operate an integrated exhibition hall featuring four affiliates: POSCO Holdings, POSCO, POSCO International, and POSCO E&C.
The exhibition hall will consist of four zones: △Decarbonization Innovation Technologies △Core Materials △Carbon-Free Energy △K-GX Ecosystem.
The Decarbonization Innovation Technologies zone will showcase steel-sector decarbonization technologies, including a model of the HyREX process, POSCO’s hydrogen-reduction ironmaking technology, as well as blast-furnace-based bridge technologies and electric furnaces. HyREX is a technology that uses hydrogen instead of coal as a reducing agent to produce molten iron. POSCO plans to complete a HyREX demonstration facility in Pohang with an annual capacity of 300,000 tons in 2028 and secure commercialization technology by 2030.
The Core Materials zone will introduce key steel products that support the artificial intelligence transformation (AX) and green transformation (GX) of manufacturing, including energy storage systems (ESS), data centers, physical AI, new mobility, and power infrastructure.
The Carbon-Free Energy zone will present POSCO Group’s capabilities in carbon-free energy businesses and its competitiveness in engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC). POSCO International will share the status of its domestic offshore wind and solar power projects, along with the diversification of its portfolio in overseas markets. POSCO E&C will showcase its EPC capabilities in next-generation energy fields, including nuclear power, small modular reactors (SMRs), and high-temperature gas-cooled reactors.
The K-GX Ecosystem zone will present POSCO Group’s vision for a ‘successful model of a decarbonized ecosystem in South Korea.’ At its core is the development of the southeastern region of Korea into a decarbonized cluster through public-private cooperation linked to the HyREX demonstration facility.
POSCO Group is considering using nuclear power from the southeastern region of Korea as carbon-free energy and linking it with clean hydrogen production through water-electrolysis facilities. By combining these resources with the HyREX demonstration facility, the group plans to build a K-GX industrial ecosystem centered on steel and extending to energy and infrastructure.
A POSCO official said, "The group will complete commercialization technology for hydrogen-reduction ironmaking by leveraging the government’s support for decarbonization policies." The official added, "In particular, we will take the lead in developing the southeastern region of Korea cluster as a representative model of the ‘K-GX industrial ecosystem’ based on the HyREX demonstration facility, thereby raising the decarbonization competitiveness of the manufacturing sector as a whole to a new level."

[email protected] Kim Mi-hee Reporter