In South Korea, a consortium of hydrogen stakeholders has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to explore the use of hydrogen at Incheon International Airport (ICN). More globally, the collaboration will also study the development of Korean airport infrastructure to support the deployment of hydrogen-powered commercial aircraft.
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Air Liquide, Airbus, Korean Air, and Incheon International Airport Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the use of hydrogen at Incheon International Airport. This partnership reflects a shared ambition to drive the emergence of an innovative aviation sector dedicated to supporting the Korean government’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.
In the framework of the MoU, the four partners will prepare a roadmap to first develop hydrogen usages at and around Incheon Airport, and build scenarios to support the deployment of hydrogen ecosystems connected to other Korean airports.
As a second step, the partnership focuses on carrying out studies aimed at defining and developing the required liquid infrastructure at Incheon Airport to prepare the arrival of the first hydrogen-powered aircraft.
Leverage expertise
Each partner will leverage their complementary expertise to help define the potential opportunities that hydrogen offers, and support the decarbonization of the aviation industry.
- Air Liquide will bring its extensive expertise in mastering the entire hydrogen value chain (production, liquefaction, storage, and distribution), in particular, liquid hydrogen supply;
- Airbus will provide characteristics of hydrogen-powered aircraft ground operations as well as aircraft characteristics and fleet energy usage;
- Korean Air will provide expertise on-ground aircraft operations and aviation management and operations; and
- Incheon International Airport Corporation will provide an airport development plan outlook, along with air traffic characteristics and distribution among terminals, starting with Incheon International Airport (ICN), one of the largest and busiest airports in the world.
Strong hydrogen commitment
Air Liquide, a pioneer and a leader in hydrogen solutions will leverage its strong local footprint to accelerate the deployment of hydrogen solutions in South Korea.
Via its subsidiary Air Liquide Korea, it has been present in South Korea since 1996, and is also one of the founders and key contributors to the development of the hydrogen economy in Korea, as shown by its participation in Hydrogen Energy Network Co., Ltd (HyNet), a special purpose company created in 2019 to install 100 hydrogen refueling stations by 2022 and in KOHYGEN (Korea Hydrogen Green Energy Network), a special-purpose company established in 2021 to accelerate fuel cell heavy-duty vehicle deployment.
At Incheon Airport, the Group has already invested in two high-capacity hydrogen stations that started up in August 2021, serving hydrogen fuel cell buses, cars, and demonstration trucks, and is supplying hydrogen molecules to the stations under a long-term contract.
Momentum is building around hydrogen, notably with initiatives to accelerate the development of more sustainable aviation. South Korea is one of the most active countries in the world for hydrogen activities and we are pleased to participate with our partners in the development of the country’s hydrogen economy. By starting to introduce hydrogen now through mobility projects, and with the ambition of developing liquid hydrogen infrastructures for airports in the future, we are contributing to building a more sustainable future, said Francois Abrial, member of the Air Liquide Group’s Executive Committee supervising Asia-Pacific.
