Gov't says hydrogen supply sufficient through year-end at 14,500 tons

The government said Tuesday it expects no disruptions to hydrogen supply for fuel cell vehicles through the end of the year.

The Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy held the third meeting of its transport hydrogen supply-demand consultative body at the Centerpoint Gwanghwamun Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and offered that assessment.

According to the ministry, hydrogen consumption for transport purposes reached 13,711 tons from January through August this year, up 47 percent from the same period last year. The increase was driven by the addition of roughly 5,000 hydrogen vehicles on the road this year.

The cumulative number of hydrogen vehicles in operation stood at 49,722 as of August, up 5,067 from 44,655 at the end of last year.

Taking planned vehicle deployment into account, the ministry projected that an additional 11,100 tons of transport hydrogen will be consumed by year-end.

It added that available supply through year-end amounts to 14,500 tons, meaning no shortfall is expected.

The government also decided to raise the hydrogen fuel subsidy for the bus industry from next month through year-end, increasing it from the current 5,000 won to 6,000 won per kilogram, citing the growing financial burden on bus operators as hydrogen prices have risen amid the Middle East war.

Korea Petroleum Management Institute, the agency responsible for hydrogen distribution, said the Middle East war and restructuring in the petrochemical sector had reduced the supply of by-product hydrogen derived from naphtha, but that by-product hydrogen from other feedstocks and natural gas reforming had offset the shortfall, keeping the daily average transport hydrogen supply at 70 tons — a normal level.

Hydrogen companies that attended the meeting pledged to bring newly completed facilities online on schedule to prevent supply disruptions caused by the Middle East war, petrochemical sector restructuring and scheduled equipment inspections. During inspection periods at hydrogen supply facilities, they said they would work with local governments to secure alternative supply volumes and backup charging stations to ensure uninterrupted hydrogen vehicle operation.

Oh Il-young, director general of the Climate and Energy Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy, said the ministry would do its utmost to ensure a stable hydrogen supply. He noted that the Chuseok holiday — when vehicle travel surges — and the fourth quarter, when temperatures drop and equipment inspections are concentrated, are periods of heightened transport hydrogen demand.

Oh added that the ministry would work closely with the hydrogen distribution agency, the hydrogen industry and local governments to actively secure alternative supply and backup charging stations, so that the public can use hydrogen buses and other hydrogen vehicles without inconvenience during scheduled inspection periods at hydrogen supply facilities, including some petrochemical plants.