Samcheok and Donghae selected for hydrogen city project; first hydrogen city in Gangwon to secure 20 billion won in national funding

【Financial News, Samcheok and Donghae—Reporter Kim Gi-seop】Samcheok and Donghae will become Gangwon State’s first hydrogen city, linking by pipeline the hydrogen production and storage facilities they have built separately and supplying hydrogen energy to swimming pools, senior centers and industrial complexes.
According to Gangwon State on the 27th, Samcheok and Donghae were finally selected as sites for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport’s 2027 Hydrogen City Development Project, securing 20 billion won in national funding. The project will invest a total of 40 billion won over four years, from next year through 2030, to build infrastructure for hydrogen production and supply, transport and storage, utilization, and safety management in and around Samcheok and Donghae. Funding will comprise 20 billion won from the national government, 6 billion won from the province, 12.4 billion won from Samcheok City, and 1.6 billion won from Donghae City.
The Hydrogen City Development Project builds infrastructure to produce, transport and store hydrogen within cities so it can be used across fields such as housing, transportation and industry. It is currently underway in 15 cities and counties nationwide. After the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport held a project briefing last February, the province submitted a draft project plan in March. Following final confirmation on July 10 and its inclusion in the government proposal on July 17, the province received a provisional allocation notice for the government’s budget proposal on the 8th of this month. Next year, it plans to spend 1 billion won, including 500 million won in national funding, to draw up a hydrogen city master plan.


For production, an additional reforming-based hydrogen production facility with a capacity of 1.3 tons per day will be built, and green hydrogen from the solar-powered water electrolysis facility under construction in Donghae will also be used. The hydrogen produced will be supplied reliably to users through a 2.5-kilometer pipeline and a one-ton-class storage and loading facility.
The utilization plans span both residents’ daily lives and industrial sites. Fuel cells will be installed at swimming pools, senior centers and hydrogen townhouses in Samcheok to supply energy for everyday needs. At the hydrogen-specialized industrial complex, a combined hydrogen power generation system using fuel cells and hydrogen engines will be built to expand demand for hydrogen in industry. The province plans to connect hydrogen infrastructure already in place or under development in the two cities into a single supply chain and complete an urban hydrogen ecosystem.
Son Chang-hwan, head of Gangwon State’s Global Headquarters, said, “Once the hydrogen facilities built separately in Samcheok and Donghae are connected by pipelines and storage facilities, the cities will be able to use hydrogen directly in places ranging from swimming pools and senior centers to industrial complexes.” He added, “We will develop this into a hub for the hydrogen industry that brings production, storage and transport, and utilization together in one place, attract related companies, and make it a new growth engine for local industry.”

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