South Korea to Relax Regulations and Facilitate New Hydrogen Charging Stations
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Seoul, Dec 18 (NationPress) The Ministry of Industry in South Korea revealed on Wednesday that the nation intends to implement relaxed regulations for hydrogen charging stations in the coming year, as part of initiatives to enhance the sector's ecosystem.
This set of reforms is encapsulated in the updated high-pressure gas safety control act, scheduled to take effect in May. It aims to minimize obstacles for establishing new hydrogen charging stations, as stated by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
According to the revised guidelines, the minimum safety distance between charging stations and adjacent facilities, currently ranging from 12 to 30 meters, may be shortened if the stations are fitted with adequate protective barriers and safety measures, as reported by Yonhap news agency.
Additionally, these stations will be permitted to accommodate not only vehicles but also various types of hydrogen fuel cell machinery, such as forklifts, excavators, and trams.
Park Chan-ki, the ministry official responsible for hydrogen economy policy, commented, "With the debut of new hydrogen vehicles, public interest in the hydrogen mobility ecosystem is on the rise." He further stated, "The government will persist in revising regulations to foster the growth of the hydrogen industry."
In another development, an organization dedicated to advancing South Korea's Carbon-Free Energy (CFE) initiative conducted a seminar on Wednesday to explore strategies for attaining carbon neutrality through a varied array of carbon-free energy sources, including nuclear power.
This event, organized by the Carbon Free Alliance, was held in the context of governmental efforts to promote the initiative as a means to effectively meet the increasing energy demand driven by the artificial intelligence sector, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The CFE initiative, which was introduced globally by Seoul last year, emphasizes the pursuit of carbon neutrality by leveraging a broad spectrum of carbon-free energy sources, including both nuclear and hydrogen power.
