Global shipbuilding conglomerate Hyundai Heavy Industries Group said Wednesday it will establish the world's first technical guidance for offshore green hydrogen plants

To that end, the group's affiliates -- Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (KSOE) and its subsidiary Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. -- have signed a preliminary deal with ABS, a US ship quality assurance and risk management company.

The deal is aimed at setting up the world's first guideline for the design of offshore green hydrogen plants, which includes safety regulations.

Hyundai Heavy Industries plans to get approval for the guideline from ABS by the first half of next year.

In May, Hyundai Heavy Industries signed a deal with nine local entities, including the Korea National Oil Corp., a state-run company, to build a 100 megawatt offshore plant for green hydrogen in the East Sea by 2025.

The offshore plant will produce hydrogen from sea water using electricity power generated at a floating offshore wind farm.

Hydrogen is an environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels, as vehicles and ships propelled by the resource only create water in the process of generating power.

Green hydrogen refers to hydrogen produced by splitting water by electrolysis, using renewable energy sources, such as wind power, without emitting carbon dioxide. (Yonhap)