Lawmaker announces scrapping of W1.3tr clean hydrogen project at Incheon port site

Rep. Heo Jong-sik of the Democratic Party of Korea announced Tuesday that a planned 1.3 trillion won ($849 million) clean hydrogen supply project at the E1 Container Terminal site in Incheon's Namhang port has been scrapped.

Heo convened a meeting Monday afternoon at his office with E1 representatives and Jeomulpo District Council members Lee Seung-wook and Kim Jong-guk, at which all parties agreed to withdraw the clean hydrogen supply project planned for the E1CT site.

"After consulting with E1, we decided to withdraw the project plan, as nearby residents are strongly opposed and Incheon city has not given its consent," Heo said.

Heo's office had conveyed residents' safety concerns and opposition to E1 at a meeting in January, and Monday's session produced the final decision to scrap the project.

E1 had originally planned to repurpose the container terminal site, which is set to become vacant in the second half of 2028 after the terminal closes in 2027 under the Fourth National Port Master Plan (2021–2030), when the Incheon New Port Phase 1-2 container berths open.

The company had been in talks with power generators to supply clean hydrogen for co-firing at LNG power plants in the Incheon area, including those operated by Korea Southern Power, Korea Western Power, Korea Midland Power and Posco International's Incheon power plant.

E1 had planned to invest the full 1.3 trillion won to install two 50,000-ton hydrogen compound tanks and three 70,000-ton cracking units. In May 2024, the company applied to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to reclassify the berth function as a "chemical industrial products wharf" under a port master plan revision.

Residents near the site had consistently opposed the project, citing safety concerns — including explosion risks — over the planned hydrogen infrastructure, ammonia tanks and cracking facilities.

E1 had internally explored alternatives such as leisure facilities, a sports center, an offshore wind support complex and a data center, but could not identify a viable direction due to various physical and economic constraints, according to sources.

"I am not unsympathetic to the project's goal of transitioning to clean hydrogen at the national level, but we concluded that the paramount issues of resident safety and community acceptance could not be resolved," Heo said. "We must now build a close communication framework with the local community on how to use the E1CT site and pursue a public deliberation process to develop a reasonable alternative that benefits both residents and the company."