“Buyeo hydrogen refueling station completed” ... South Chungcheong Province accelerates push for a “hydrogen network within 20 minutes”

[Financial News, Hongseong = Kim Won-jun, reporter] South Chungcheong Province, which is leading the nation’s carbon-neutrality efforts, is accelerating the development of an eco-friendly hydrogen mobility ecosystem by completing Buyeo County’s first hydrogen refueling facility and the province’s 16th.
South Chungcheong Province said it held a completion ceremony on the 4th at the hydrogen refueling station built in Nabok-ri, Gyuam-myeon, Buyeo County, attended by provincial officials, Buyeo County Governor Lee Yong-woo, Chungnam Techno Park Director Park Jong-chan, Korea Gas Technology Corporation Deputy General Manager Lee Jong-chan, and others.
The Buyeo County hydrogen refueling station was built with a total project budget of 6 billion won after being selected for the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment’s hydrogen refueling station installation support program. Following facility inspections and test runs, it is scheduled to begin full commercial operations between late November and early December.
The newly completed station has a maximum daily refueling capacity of about 1,200 kg. That is enough to refuel 240 hydrogen-powered passenger cars or 48 hydrogen buses a day. The Korea Gas Technology Corporation, a specialized agency, will operate and manage the facility and plans to ensure safety, including by keeping a dedicated safety manager on site at all times.
The station is expected to greatly ease the burden on hydrogen vehicle drivers in Buyeo, who have had to travel to stations in neighboring cities and counties, and to spur wider adoption of hydrogen-powered passenger and commercial vehicles in the county.
South Chungcheong Province is working toward its goal of building a total of 67 hydrogen refueling units by 2030, accessible within 20 minutes from anywhere in the province. It currently operates 15 sites (29 units) in eight cities and counties. In addition to the newly completed station in Buyeo County, construction is underway on six more sites (13 units) across six cities and counties.
Hydrogen refueling stations in Boryeong-si and Gyeryong-si opened one after another this year. With the Buyeo County station now complete and two more stations in Cheonan scheduled for completion before the end of the year, South Chungcheong Province’s hydrogen refueling network is expected to become denser.
The completion of the Buyeo hydrogen refueling station marks the start of an expansion of hydrogen infrastructure from the advanced industrial complexes concentrated in the northwestern part of South Chungcheong Province into the southwestern inland region. Given Buyeo’s regional character as a center of the Baekje cultural region, the station is also expected to pave the way for the introduction of hydrogen-powered tour buses and eco-friendly public transportation.
South Chungcheong Province has also supported cooperation between transport companies and private operators and encouraged participation in public calls for proposals to expand hydrogen refueling stations led by the private sector. As a result, a private operator in Seocheon County was selected through a call for proposals last August and signed a business agreement in September. The province is continuing to promote private-sector infrastructure expansion, including by securing additional applications in Asan and Seosan.
A South Chungcheong Province official said, “The completion of Buyeo County’s first hydrogen refueling station will greatly ease residents’ difficulties in refueling and improve access to hydrogen vehicles.” The official added, “We will continue expanding refueling infrastructure so residents can conveniently use hydrogen vehicles anytime, anywhere, and will do our utmost to achieve national carbon neutrality.”
[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter