Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction (DHIC) has kicked off the first hydrogen liquefaction demonstration project in the country. DHIC plans to supply Korea’s first hydrogen liquefaction plant to support Changwon City’s project to build a demonstration site for hydrogen energy circulation and storage systems.

On April 23 DHIC signed an MOU with Changwon City and Changwon Industry Promotion Agency (CWIP) to embark on a demonstration project for hydrogen liquefaction and storage systems. The signing ceremony was attended by Changwon Mayor Sungmoo Huh, CWIP President Chihun Yang, and DHIC Executive Vice President and Management Division Head Yeonin Jung among others.

Under the terms of the MOU, Changwon City and CWIP will supply the land, secure the budget and provide the connection to the demonstration site for the hydrogen energy circulation system in Changwon, while DHIC, as the EPC contractor, will build the hydrogen liquefaction plant and perform the operation and maintenance (O&M) work together with the two parties.

The new plant is scheduled to be built in Seongju-dong of Changwon City and will have a capacity to produce 0.5 tons of liquid hydrogen, all of which will be supplied to hydrogen refueling stations and other various customers.

Hydrogen, a clean energy source, is liquefied at an extremely low temperature of minus 2530C. As its volume is reduced by about 800 times during this process, liquid hydrogen is much easier to store and transport compared to gaseous hydrogen and can be contained in much smaller storage tanks, thereby helping to save on operating costs since refueling stations can be built on smaller areas.

“We will concentrate on conducting a successful demonstration as this is the first hydrogen liquefaction plant in Korea. With the signing of this MOU, we plan to contribute to expanding and promoting the hydrogen business infrastructure by establishing the foundation for liquid hydrogen production,” declared DHIC Executive Vice President and Management Division Head Yeonin Jung.

Last January, the Korean government announced their roadmap for promoting the hydrogen economy, along with their goal of supplying 5.26 million tons of hydrogen annually by 2040. DHIC has already completed the development of a high-pressure storage tank and heat exchanger, the core equipment of hydrogen refueling stations, and has supplied heat exchangers to four hydrogen refueling stations.