SK Energy opens S.Korea's first hydrogen charging station for large trucks

SK Energy is the first company in South Korea to launch a station for charging large hydrogen-powered trucks.

The company on Sunday said it held a completion ceremony for SK Hydrogen Station at SK Ulsan Truck House in the Sanggae-dong neighborhood of Ulsan, the first such domestic facility of its kind.

This station is 7 km from Ulsan Interchange (IC), the gateway to the city's highway, and 3 km from Cheongnyang IC. The company said it built the facility there because large trucks pass through there frequently.

The station can charge 80 kg worth of vehicles per hour, or 40 large trucks daily and 16 hydrogen-powered cars hourly.

The central government also invested 4 billion won ($3 million), Ulsan Metropolitan City 1.7 billion won and SK Energy 1.3 billion won to install an underground pipeline connecting the 1.5 km hydrogen plant and charging station. The company will run the station until 2046.

With this venture as a start, SK Energy will expand its unit for charging hydrogen-powered trucks.

Write to Hyung-Kyu Kim at khk@hankyung.com