Hyundai Motor Group has built an integrated facility for resource-circulating clean hydrogen production and refueling in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, and has set out to establish an eco-friendly hydrogen ecosystem. It has launched what is known as a ‘local production and local consumption of hydrogen’ model, moving away from transporting hydrogen from other regions and instead producing it from local waste for immediate use.

On the 9th, Hyundai Motor Group held a completion ceremony for ‘HTWO ENERGY Cheongju’ on the site of the public sewage treatment plant in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Attendees included Seo Kang-hyun, President of Hyundai Motor Group; Lee Ho-hyun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment; Shin Yong-han, Governor of North Chungcheong Province; and Lee Jang-sub, Mayor of Cheongju.

The newly opened facility is the first resource-circulating hydrogen production and refueling complex that Hyundai Motor Group operates directly. It operates by refining biogas generated during the treatment of sewage sludge waste in the Cheongju area to extract clean hydrogen. By reducing distribution costs that occur during hydrogen transport and storage, it is expected to secure economic viability and enhance regional independence in hydrogen resources.

Within the facility, a gas-upgrading unit that purifies biogas, a hydrogen extraction unit, and high-pressure compressors are in operation. It can currently produce about 500㎏ of hydrogen per day on average. That is enough to refuel about 100 Nexo hydrogen fuel-cell passenger cars. In connection with the organic waste treatment plan of Cheongju City, Hyundai Motor Group plans to expand daily output to 2t by 2030. All hydrogen produced here will be supplied to North Chungcheong Province and the Cheongju area, driving the transition to an eco-friendly energy system.

Starting with the Cheongju base, Hyundai Motor Group plans to expand resource-circulating hydrogen production projects both domestically and overseas. Abroad, it is also pursuing the establishment of hydrogen ecosystems tailored to local markets, including in Indonesia and Hong Kong. President Seo Kang-hyun said, “HTWO ENERGY Cheongju is a model case of a circular-economy model that converts local waste resources into clean energy and consumes them again within the region,” and added, “Building on this, we will expand the locally self-reliant hydrogen production model to global markets.”