CHANGWON — Kyungnam Energy (008020) has opened a hydrogen refueling station dedicated to buses and other large commercial vehicles in Changwon's Jinhae District. Until now, Jinhae had only facilities for passenger hydrogen cars, leaving no dedicated infrastructure to meet commercial vehicle demand.
The company said on the 17th that it had begun commercial operation of the Changwon Deoksan hydrogen station at 83 Cheonja-ro in Jinhae District, Changwon. The station was built under a hydrogen station support program run by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, and the company plans to use it as a regional hub supporting the rollout of hydrogen commercial vehicles and the shift to hydrogen-powered public transit in the Jinhae area.
The station can dispense up to 100 kilograms of hydrogen an hour, enough to refuel four to six hydrogen buses per hour depending on each vehicle's fill volume and operating conditions. With extended operating hours, it can handle demand from as many as 60 vehicles a day.
Kyungnam Energy expects the station to cut empty-vehicle trips and waiting times for transit operators in the Jinhae area. Better refueling convenience and a more stable hydrogen supply should also improve conditions for adding more hydrogen buses, the company said.
"The Changwon Deoksan hydrogen station is more than a refueling facility. It is a key hub in a regional hydrogen energy value chain that links Kyungnam Energy's natural gas supply, hydrogen production, transport and supply, refueling and hydrogen bus operations into one," CEO Shin Chang-dong said. "We will close the gap in commercial vehicle refueling infrastructure in the Jinhae area and actively support stable operation and wider adoption of hydrogen buses."
