The Seonam Water Recycling Center (Image courtesy of Seoul city)
SEOUL, Apr. 4 (Korea Bizwire) – In a groundbreaking move towards sustainable energy, Seoul and the city of Yeongcheon in North Gyeongsang Province are set to embark on innovative projects to produce hydrogen from biogas.
These initiatives aim to transform organic waste, such as livestock manure, food waste, and sewage sludge, into a renewable energy source, contributing not only to carbon neutrality but also to the local self-sufficiency in hydrogen.
The Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Korea Environment Corporation, the city of Yeongcheon, and the private company EcoBio Holdings, announced plans to sign a memorandum of understanding on April 4 for the production of hydrogen from biogas.
This collaboration underscores the concerted effort among governmental, local, and private sectors to harness sustainable energy technologies.
Yeongcheon was designated as a biogas-based hydrogen producer this year. The city plans to produce approximately 500kg of hydrogen per day from the 4,000Nm³ of biogas generated at the Integrated Biogasification Facility in Geumho-eup.
This amount of hydrogen is sufficient to fuel around 100 hydrogen-powered passenger cars daily.
Similarly, EcoBio Holdings is set to produce hydrogen in Seoul’s Gangseo District at the Seonam Water Recycling Center, utilizing sewage to produce hydrogen on the same scale as in Yeongcheon.
Both the city of Yeongcheon and EcoBio Holdings aim to complete the necessary facilities by 2025, with hydrogen production slated to begin in 2026.
The total investment for these two projects is estimated at 26 billion won, with Yeongcheon covering 70% of its project costs and EcoBio Holdings 50%, both receiving significant financial support from the national government.
This initiative follows a successful precedent set by the city of Boryeong in South Chungcheong Province and Hyundai Motor Company, who were previously selected as biogas-based hydrogen producers.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
