Utility Global has locked in its first commercial project in South Korea, signing an engineering services agreement for a flagship H2Gen hydrogen plant in Daejeon.

 

The move that marks both a critical project milestone and the company’s first major global expansion beyond the United States.

 

The agreement, signed with SAMJIN E&I, pushes the Daejeon project out of early-stage development and into detailed engineering, advancing from front-end loading (FEL-1) through FEL-3 and toward a final investment decision (FID) targeted for June 2027.

 

The project positions Daejeon as an emerging hydrogen hub, with plans for a 3.5-ton-per-day fuel-cell-grade hydrogen facility designed to supply hydrogen-powered trams—one of the first deployments of its kind in South Korea. The initiative aligns with a broader national push, as multiple Korean cities accelerate hydrogen mobility and infrastructure programs.

 

“Reaching this milestone underscores how we translate clean energy ambition into economically viable, real-world projects,” said Parker Meeks, chief executive officer and president of Utility Global. 

 

“By partnering with SAMJIN to move this project through front-end engineering, we're taking a critical step toward delivering scalable, commercially viable hydrogen solutions for hard-to-abate sectors. South Korea's leadership in hydrogen innovation makes it an ideal market to demonstrate how localized H2Gen deployment can support industrial and transportation transition to clean fuels, energy resilience and meaningful emissions reduction at the same time.”

 

For SAMJIN E&I, the agreement signals a shift from collaboration to execution.

 

“This engineering services agreement represents meaningful progress from collaboration to execution,” said Ho Young Jeong, chief executive officer of SAMJIN E&I. 

 

“SAMJIN is proud to work with Utility as we believe its H2Gen technology can support the advancement of decentralized hydrogen infrastructure in South Korea. Their differentiated approach aligns with Korea's rapidly growing hydrogen economy while focusing on practical and economic decarbonization in multiple sectors, including transportation.”

 

At the core of the project is Utility’s H2Gen technology, which produces hydrogen from industrial off-gases and biogas streams without requiring electricity, while simultaneously generating a high-purity carbon dioxide stream. 

 

The system is designed for modular deployment, allowing it to integrate into existing industrial facilities with a small footprint—targeting sectors such as refining, petrochemicals, steel, chemicals, mobility, and distributed energy.

 

The Daejeon plant is being developed as a key demonstration of how hydrogen production can be embedded directly into industrial ecosystems, reducing costs associated with conventional carbon capture and enabling localized low-carbon fuel supply chains.

 

The project also strengthens Utility’s backing from Ara Partners, which supports its broader industrial decarbonization strategy across hard-to-abate sectors.

 

If completed as planned, the facility would represent a notable step in South Korea’s hydrogen roadmap—linking municipal transport decarbonization with industrial-scale low-carbon fuel production, and positioning Daejeon as a reference point for future deployments across the region.