The Center for Hydrogen Safety (CHS) — a global technical community within AIChE — has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Gangwon Technopark, a government agency in South Korea’s Gangwon Province, to provide safety reviews of hydrogen fueling stations (HFS) and production facilities. Gangwon Technopark is responsible for the oversight of the province’s industries and technology deployment. The signing took place on Jan. 13, 2020, at AIChE’s global headquarters in New York, NY.
Memorandum of understanding
The MoU was signed by Nick Barilo, Director of the CHS, and Seong In (Steven) Kim, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gangwon Technopark, and represents the latest partnership in CHS’s mission to support the safe and timely rollout of critical hydrogen infrastructure in order to advance the transition to a worldwide hydrogen economy.
Energy transition safety
Barilo commended Gangwon Technopark and the people of Gangwon Province for their dedication to ensuring safety in South Korea’s energy transition. He noted the South Korean government’s significant investments in hydrogen fuel technologies, a critical need recently highlighted by the Hydrogen Council, a global CEO-led initiative of energy, transportation, and industrial firms fostering the hydrogen economy and a strategic partner of CHS. South Korea has committed to build 310 HFS and deploy over 65,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by 2022.
“It is only through these international collaborations that we will enable stakeholder and public confidence and accelerate the adoption of this transformative technology,” said Barilo.
Hydrogen safety
The CHS promotes the safe use of hydrogen as a sustainable energy carrier to its global corporate partners by facilitating access to hydrogen safety experts, developing comprehensive safety guidance and educational materials, and providing a forum where stakeholders can partner on worldwide technical solutions. In addition, CHS provides expertise in hydrogen safety through its Hydrogen Safety Panel, which has reviewed more than 350 projects with the goal of helping hydrogen industries attain a record of excellence in safety.
Technical communities
The Center for Hydrogen Safety is one of several technology communities operated by AIChE that share technical and safety information and resources with diverse users. AIChE and CHS also facilitate education and the consistent application of technical and safety standards through courses, conferences, publications, and online tools.
To learn more about CHS, email nickb@aiche.org.