Even the best of intentions can fall flat without full attention to vital details. The Korea Herald looks into the flaws and shortcomings of Korea’s green policies. – Ed.

South Korea is undoubtedly among the frontrunners in the global hydrogen race, with a sweeping and ambitious national strategy to utilize the cleanest fuel to power Asia’s fourth-largest economy.

In its push for the hydrogen economy, the Moon Jae-in administration takes pride in having enacted the world’s first hydrogen act, a fast rollout of hydrogen cars and charging stations, and an impressive list of big companies backing the national vision with investment pledges totaling more than 43 trillion won ($36.6 billion).

But Moon’s hydrogen vision lacks attention to the most essential part of the hydrogen economy – the fuel itself.

When it comes to hydrogen, color matters a great deal.

Although it is the most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen rarely exists on its own on Earth. So how to produce and supply hydrogen as a stable fuel is a core question to be answered if it is going to be included in the future energy mix. That’s why hydrogen has color descriptions like grey, blue or green.

According to multiple industry sources, who each requested anonymity, Moon’s hydrogen strategy revolves around a vague keyword called “clean hydrogen,” a puzzling term for the industry, which can’t make investments without a clear policy direction.

The government says that Korea will have to import 22 million tons of clean hydrogen in 2050 to meet a total annual demand of 27 million tons, without mentioning whether the clean hydrogen refers to blue hydrogen, green hydrogen, or both.

As the government doesn’t clarify which type of clean hydrogen it wants, private companies are hesitating, unsure whether its blue or green hydrogen they should invest in.

What’s worse, Korea doesn’t have an official definition of clean hydrogen. Simply put, clean hydrogen can suddenly become “unclean” hydrogen depending on the definition.

“In Europe, clean hydrogen refers to hydrogen that doesn’t emit carbon throughout its entire value chain from well to wheel. In Korea, the extent hasn’t been decided yet,” an executive of one of the world’s leading gas companies said on the condition of anonymity.

The executive gave an example of how blue hydrogen can suddenly become dirty hydrogen.

Blue hydrogen, though extracted from natural gas, captures carbon emitted during the production and is therefore called blue. As blue hydrogen is too bulky in a gaseous state, it is typically chilled to minus 33 degrees Celsius into liquid ammonia for transportation.

If the government calculates carbon emitted during the chilling process, blue hydrogen liquefied by energy generated from fossil fuels -- such as electricity produced by coal -- can no longer be categorized as blue hydrogen.

“Blue hydrogen chilled by renewable energy will be too expensive and lose price competitiveness. The government has to make it clear whether the liquefaction process is included for the categorization of blue hydrogen,” the executive said.