South Korea’s Hanwha Solutions, a chemical energy arm of conglomerate Hanwha Group, is backing global energy firm Shell’s project to install hydrogen charging stations in the U.S. state of California.

According to its press release on Tuesday, Hanwha Cimarron, its wholly-owned subsidiary in the U.S., will provide Shell with Neptune hydrogen tanks for shipping. Neptune is a “type 4” tank made of carbon fiber-based composite materials to store up to 2,000 liters of hydrogen with the anti-buckling technology designed to prevent the tank from being deformed or damaged even if the stored hydrogen is extracted completely from the tank.

Neptune has received safety certificates for shipping and storage from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Normally, type 4 tanks need to keep 10 percent of hydrogen inside to prevent them from shrinking, which is a downside in terms of transportation efficiency.

California plans to build 1,000 hydrogen charging stations in the state by 2030. Currently, 53 of 66 hydrogen stations are located in the state. According to global market researcher Markets & Markets Research, the global hydrogen storage market will grow to $119.2 billion by 2027 with the North American market at $15.5 billion.

Hanwha Cimarron has also invested $51 million to build a high-pressure tank production facility in Alabama, targeting its completion in the second half of this year. When completed, the plant will be able to produce 4,000 hydrogen tanks annually.

The company envisions becoming No. 1 hydrogen tank supplier by raising sales in Germany and other European nations.

Hanwha Solutions shares were up 0.93 percent to 37,900 won in the morning session on Tuesday.

By Park Yun-gu and Jenny Lee

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