South Korea's government has unveiled its first hydrogen-powered bus under a clean energy plan

With the Korean government's hydrogen bus supply support project, more and more people will have access to hydrogen buses powered by clean hydrogen energy.

On April 18, 2023, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held a ceremony for the delivery of the first hydrogen-powered bus under the "Hydrogen Fuel cell Purchase Support Demonstration Project" and the completion of the Incheon Hydrogen energy production base at the Incheon Singheung Bus Repair Plant.

In November 2022, the South Korean government launched a pilot project to supply hydrogen-powered buses as part of its strategy to nurture the development of the country's hydrogen energy industry. A total of 400 hydrogen-powered buses will be deployed nationwide, including 130 in Incheon, 75 in North Jeolla Province, 70 in Busan, 45 in Sejong, 40 in South Gyeongsang Province, and 40 in Seoul.

The hydrogen bus delivered to Incheon on the same day is the first result of the government's hydrogen bus support program. Incheon already operates 23 hydrogen-powered buses and plans to add 130 more through government support.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy estimates that 18 million people in Incheon alone will be able to use hydrogen-powered buses every year when the government s hydrogen bus support project is completed.

This is the first time in Korea that a hydrogen production facility has been built directly in a bus garage that uses hydrogen on a large scale. The picture shows the Incheon hydrogen production plant.

At the same time, Incheon has set up a small scale hydrogen production facility in a hydrogen-powered bus garage. Previously, Incheon had no hydrogen production facilities and relied on hydrogen supplies transported from other regions, but the new facility will allow the city to produce 430 tons of hydrogen per year to fuel hydrogen-powered buses operating in garages.

This is the first time in Korea that a hydrogen production facility has been built directly in a bus garage that uses hydrogen on a large scale.

Park Il-joon, deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, said, "By expanding the supply of hydrogen-powered buses, we can enable Koreans to experience the hydrogen economy more in their daily lives. In the future, we will continue to actively support the upgrading of infrastructure related to hydrogen production, storage and transportation, and further strive to create a hydrogen energy ecosystem by improving laws and institutions related to hydrogen energy."