South Korea to launch clean hydrogen certification system

South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) has announced that the proposal for an amendment to the ‘Hydrogen Economy Promotion and Hydrogen Safety Management Act’ has passed the 47th Cabinet meeting’s deliberation and resolution process, enabling the government to move forward with the establishment of a clean hydrogen certification system.

The approval follows the pre-announcement of the ‘Hydrogen Act’ legislation, regulation review and a review by the Ministry of Government Legislation, MOTIE said, noting that the Korean government has thus far been making efforts to establish a clean hydrogen certification system given relevant trends in other major countries and domestic conditions.

According to the ministry, the ‘Hydrogen Act’ amendment proposal contains applicable provisions for enforcement, including those regarding the clean hydrogen certification standards and procedures, post-management and the designation of certifying institutions.

The technical specifications of certification are to be publicly announced to promote a flexible response and system management in accordance with technology maturity, MOTIE added.

MOTIE’s Hydrogen Economy Policy Director General Park Chan-ki commented: “We are anticipating that this amendment will trigger large-scale corporate investments by establishing a foundation for the certification of clean hydrogen, a core means in achieving carbon neutrality, and we intend to launch related systems like the ‘Clean Hydrogen Energy Portfolio Standards’ (CHPS), which is to be opened next year, without a hitch.”

MOTIE noted it plans to swiftly push the follow-up measures to complete all preparations necessary for enforcing the clean hydrogen certification system to spur the process of nurturing Korea’s clean hydrogen ecosystem.

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