Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Moon's 'hydrogen diplomacy' tarnished by charging station explosion
Smoke rises from a hydrogen tank at a hydrogen refueling station in Sandvika, Norway, on Monday. Reuters-Yonhap
By Nam Hyun-woo
By Nam Hyun-woo
President Moon Jae-in speaks during a state dinner with King Harald V of Norway at the Royal Palace in Oslo, Wednesday (local time). Yonhap
President Moon Jae-in's plan to promote a “hydrogen-based economy” with Norway appears to have lost momentum as a hydrogen charging station in the Nordic nation exploded just before his state visit, industry analysts said Thursday.
Moon has been pitching for the sustainability, feasibility and safety of hydrogen cars and power generation, bringing up the agenda in a number of his visits to countries such as France and Norway.
With the explosion, however, Moon's plan to enhance cooperation with Norway over hydrogen and announce it as a diplomatic achievement will not likely be as hyped as expected, the analysts said, adding concerns over the safety of hydrogen will reignite in Korea.
A refueling station near Oslo exploded on Monday (local time) and two people in nearby cars suffered minor injuries due to airbags set off by the explosion, local media reported.
No specific cause has been mentioned yet. Uno-X, which runs the station, said “the incident is now being investigated by the police, assisted by professionals and experts.”
The company also said it will not have hydrogen at any of its other stations, until it is “absolutely sure that the technology and the solution are safe,” adding that it has emptied or is emptying the hydrogen at its stations across Norway.
Local news outlets reported that Toyota and Hyundai Motor have suspended sales of fuel cell vehicles, but a Hyundai Motor official said it has not halted sales but is “monitoring the situation because safety checks are underway.”
The incident is expected to dent Moon's plan to discuss hydrogen energy cooperation between Korea and Norway with Prime Minister Erna Solberg on Thursday night (Korean standard time) and announce it as a diplomatic achievement, as the safety of the energy source faces new questions.
According to a Cheong Wa Dae source, the two countries plan to sign a memorandum of understanding on their cooperation in hydrogen and the low-carbon economy during the summit, to create synergy between Norway's strength in producing and distributing hydrogen and Korea's strength in hydrogen vehicles.
Also, the two leaders will exchange their opinions on the safety of hydrogen regarding the explosion, the source said.
“Many experts agree that hydrogen is safe when properly managed and has abundant potential as a future energy source,” a car industry official said. “What remains unaddressed is vague public fear over hydrogen, and a number of accidents ― whose causes are yet to be specified ― are spurring such a fear which is an obstacle for the hydrogen economy to be realized.”
Korea has been dealing with growing public doubts on the safety of hydrogen stations. Last month, a hydrogen tank exploded in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, killing two people and injuring six.
Though experts and the government stressed that the Gangneung tank was experimental and commercial tanks are much safer, groups of Incheon and Gangneung citizens are strongly opposing the establishment of hydrogen power generators in their regions, questioning hydrogen's safety.
Over the Norway accident, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, which is leading the Moon government's hydrogen policy, said it is “monitoring the Norwegian authority's investigation of the explosion.”