Utility Global and SAMJIN advance South Korea’s first commercial H2Gen hydrogen project, supporting clean transport, industrial decarbonization, and hydrogen infrastructure.
Utility Global, a U.S.-based industrial decarbonization company focused on providing practical low-carbon solutions for hard-to-abate industries, has taken a significant step toward expanding its international hydrogen business by signing an engineering services agreement with South Korean industrial manufacturing and project development firm SAMJIN E&I. The agreement will support the development of Utility’s H2Gen® hydrogen production project in Daejeon, South Korea, marking the company’s first commercial-scale project outside the United States and a major milestone in its global growth strategy.
The new agreement follows the strategic collaboration partnership recently established between Utility Global and SAMJIN E&I. Under the arrangement, both companies will undertake engineering and design activities necessary to advance the project through the front-end loading (FEL) process, progressing from FEL-1 through FEL-3 and ultimately leading to a Final Investment Decision (FID), which is targeted for June 2027.
The Daejeon project is expected to play an important role in South Korea’s rapidly expanding hydrogen economy. Daejeon has emerged as one of the country's leading hydrogen development centers, supported by substantial investments in hydrogen infrastructure, production facilities, and clean transportation initiatives. Once operational, the H2Gen facility will produce approximately 3.5 tons per day of fuel-cell-grade hydrogen, which is intended to power a fleet of hydrogen-fueled trams. The project will represent the first hydrogen-powered tram initiative of its kind in South Korea and could serve as a model for similar transportation projects planned in other cities across the country.
Utility Global President and CEO Parker Meeks stated that the project demonstrates the company’s ability to transform clean-energy ambitions into commercially viable infrastructure investments. He emphasized that progressing the project through the engineering phase with SAMJIN is a crucial step toward deploying scalable hydrogen solutions capable of reducing emissions in sectors where decarbonization remains challenging. According to Meeks, South Korea’s strong commitment to hydrogen innovation makes it an ideal location to showcase how localized hydrogen production can strengthen energy security, support transportation decarbonization, and deliver measurable environmental benefits.
SAMJIN E&I CEO Ho Young Jeong highlighted that the engineering services agreement moves the partnership from planning into execution. He noted that Utility’s H2Gen technology aligns closely with South Korea’s ambition to build a decentralized hydrogen ecosystem and supports practical, economically viable pathways toward carbon reduction across transportation and industrial sectors.
A key differentiator of Utility Global’s H2Gen technology is its ability to generate clean hydrogen and a high-purity carbon dioxide stream using water and industrial off-gases or biogases, eliminating the need for electricity-intensive hydrogen production methods. The technology also simplifies carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration (CCUS) requirements, helping industries lower costs while reducing emissions. Its modular design enables seamless integration into existing facilities across multiple sectors, including steelmaking, refining, petrochemicals, chemicals, mobility, distributed energy systems, and low-carbon fuel production.
The Daejeon project is expected to become the first of several hydrogen developments Utility Global is actively pursuing in South Korea, reinforcing the country’s position as a leading market for clean hydrogen innovation and industrial decarbonization.
Market Impact: This development is expected to positively impact the hydrogen fuel, fuel cell systems, hydrogen storage tanks, industrial gases, carbon capture technologies, electrolyzer alternatives, and hydrogen-powered transportation equipment markets. Demand for fuel-cell-grade hydrogen is likely to increase as hydrogen-powered tram networks and mobility projects expand across South Korea. The project could also boost consumption of hydrogen storage and distribution infrastructure, including compression systems, pipelines, and fueling stations. In industrial sectors such as steel, refining, petrochemicals, and chemicals, adoption of H2Gen technology may reduce dependence on conventional fossil-fuel-based hydrogen, supporting demand growth for low-carbon hydrogen solutions. Over the medium term, greater hydrogen availability could support lower clean-hydrogen production costs and accelerate investments in South Korea’s broader hydrogen value chain.
