From sewage sludge to hydrogen: Hyundai opens waste-to-hydrogen plant in South Korea

Wastewater as a source of clean hydrogen

Hyundai Motor Group has opened a remarkable plant in the South Korean city of Cheongju: HTWO ENERGY Cheongju makes hydrogen from waste. It is the first facility of this kind the group operates itself, and it opened in July 2026.

How does it work?

The process is called Waste-to-Hydrogen. First, biogas is extracted from local sewage sludge. That biogas is then upgraded and, through a steam reaction, converted into hydrogen. This turns a waste stream you already have into clean fuel — and because production is local, the hydrogen does not have to travel far.

How much does it produce?

The plant produces around 500 kilos of hydrogen a day. To put that in perspective: that is enough to fuel roughly 100 Nexo passenger cars or 30 fuel-cell buses. Exactly the kind of vehicles where hydrogen comes into its own.

More than a plant

The building also houses a Hydrogen Academy: an exhibition space explaining the waste-to-hydrogen process and the wider hydrogen chain. Cheongju, centrally located on the Korean peninsula, was designated one of Korea's 'hydrogen cities' in 2025 and is growing into an inland hydrogen hub. The government supports the project through the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment.

Part of a global approach

For Hyundai the plant fits into the broader HTWO strategy: the company is building tailor-made waste-to-hydrogen chains in several places around the world, with projects in Indonesia and Hong Kong among others. According to Hyundai executive Gang Hyun Seo, Cheongju shows how to put a circular economy into practice: hydrogen made from local wastewater.

Why it matters

We think this is an appealing example. Hydrogen from waste closes the loop: a problem (sludge) becomes a solution (fuel), right next to where refuelling happens. Such local chains make clean hydrogen more affordable and logistically simpler — and that ultimately helps the driver at the pump too.

Sources

• HydrogenToday.info — Hyundai: a hydrogen plant from waste
• Hydrogen Central — Hyundai Motor Group expands Korea's hydrogen ecosystem with first group-operated waste-to-hydrogen facility
• Gasworld — Hyundai constructs 500kg per day waste-to-hydrogen plant in South Korea
• Fuel Cells Works / The Korea Times — HTWO ENERGY Cheongju (July 2026)