Utility, a company specialising in industrial decarbonisation, has signed an agreement with the Seongnam Municipal Government in South Korea to develop a demonstration and certification facility for its H2Gen® hydrogen production technology. The project, named “Frontier Korea”, will be built at the city’s wastewater treatment centre, marking the first international deployment of this U.S.-developed technology.
A project aligned with Korea’s hydrogen roadmap
This partnership is part of South Korea’s national hydrogen strategy, which aims to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels by converting organic waste into energy. The facility will produce hydrogen with a purity of over 99.995%, to be delivered to the E1 hydrogen refuelling station in Seongnam for use in heavy-duty applications such as fuel-cell buses, trucks, and passenger vehicles.
Utility uses a proprietary electrochemical process that generates hydrogen from water without electricity, using raw biogas produced through anaerobic digestion of organic waste. This approach positions the H2Gen® technology as an alternative to traditional green or blue hydrogen production methods.
Industrial deployment and local certification
The Frontier Korea site will also serve as a platform for certification under Korean gas safety regulations. This is considered a critical step towards broader deployment of the technology across targeted industrial sectors including steel, chemicals and refining.
Utility has also announced the creation of a local subsidiary, Utility Korea LLC, based in Seongnam, and has made a qualifying investment under the Foreign Investment Promotion Act. The move reflects the company’s intention to build a long-term presence in South Korea’s industrial landscape.
Replication of U.S. model in Asia
The Seongnam facility is modelled after the company’s pilot site in Houston, Texas, which began operations earlier in October, running continuously with various feed gases. The modularity of the H2Gen® system is promoted as a key advantage for adapting to different industrial contexts.
South Korea is seen by Utility as a strategic market due to its advanced hydrogen vehicle sector and active support policies for clean energy technologies.
