Samcheok, Gangwon Province, said construction of the Liquid Hydrogen Reliability Evaluation Center — a core infrastructure project aimed at strengthening the city's competitiveness in the liquid hydrogen industry — is entering its final stage.
The city is now accelerating efforts to attract hydrogen companies and build an industrial ecosystem, with preparations for the center's full operational functions expected to be nearly complete by September or October.
According to the city Wednesday, the center is being built at a total project cost of 28.7 billion won ($19.2 million) at the Second Agricultural and Industrial Complex in Gwangdae-ri, Geundeok-myeon. The facility will span a total floor area of 2,000 square meters across two above-ground floors.
The center will serve as a specialized institution conducting reliability testing and evaluation — including failure analysis and lifespan testing — on liquid hydrogen materials, components and equipment. It will also develop related evaluation standards and build a certification database, while acting as a key hub supporting companies' technology development and product commercialization.
Selected through a national government grant competition in 2023, the project is proceeding on schedule with construction of an outdoor testing building and installation of testing equipment. The outdoor testing building is on track for completion by the end of September, with equipment installation to follow by the end of October. The city plans to select an operating agency in the second half of this year, conduct trial operations and launch full operations in January 2027.
The reliability evaluation center is expected to strengthen efforts to attract and support hydrogen companies by working in tandem with the recently completed hydrogen industry rental factory at the Second Agricultural and Industrial Complex in Geundeok.
Companies already operating in the rental factory — conducting research and development, prototype production and manufacturing — as well as future tenants will be able to access product performance testing, reliability evaluation and certification support locally through the center. The arrangement is expected to establish a one-stop support system linking research and development through testing, evaluation and commercialization.
By cutting the time and cost involved, the setup is expected to boost technological competitiveness and accelerate product commercialization, in turn encouraging new corporate investment and the clustering of related businesses in the area.
Samcheok plans to link the reliability evaluation center with other key infrastructure — including the hydrogen industry rental factory, a hydrogen-specialized general industrial complex, and a hydrogen storage and transport cluster — to sharpen its competitiveness in attracting companies and advance the development of a hydrogen industry ecosystem.
"We will do our utmost to grow into a clean hydrogen industrial city representing South Korea by connecting the center with existing infrastructure such as the rental factory and the hydrogen-specialized general industrial complex," a city official said.
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