Air Liquide (AL) and Lotte Chemical recently entered a joint venture (JV) to scale-up the hydrogen (H2) supply chain for mobility markets in South Korea. The JV will be established with Air Liquide Korea (ALK) and Lotte Chemical investing 60% and 40% in this entity respectively.

The JV will invest new generation of large scale H2 filling centers in Daesan and Ulsan, which industrial basins in South Korea. The two units will serve the densely populated regions of Seoul metropolitan area and Gyeonggi province, and Ulsan, Daegu, Busan metropolitan areas and Gyeongsang provinces.

AL will bring its expertise in design, manufacturing and operation of key H2 technologies. Lotte Chemical will bring its access to large quantities of H2, from its own off-gas sources located in Daesan and Ulsan.

The demand for H2 dedicated to mobility in South Korea is expected to reach 100 tonnes per day by 2025 and over 1,000 tonnes per day by 2030.