Near-term environmental transition: A case study of Ulsan City

Abstract

The focus of this study is Ulsan City, one of South Korea's largest hydrogen producers and consumers, and its collaboration with local industries to generate both grey and blue hydrogen as alternative energy source to reduce its carbon footprint sources by 2030. Using lifecycle and material flow analysis, the study reveals that the city's 2030 hydrogen targets will likely increase its dependency on LNG, leading to increased water consumption and CO2 emissions compared to levels recorded in 2019. Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), a prominent industry player in Ulsan City, has also pledged hydrogen production to reduce the reliance on fossil fuel in the near future. The lifecycle analysis for transitioning from fossil fuel consumption to waste-to-hydrogen generation at HHI points towards a significant reduction in the overall environmental impact. A multi-criteria decision-making model was utilized to assess HHI and Ulsan City stakeholders' alignment with the national hydrogen goal in terms of their renewable energy preferences. The findings point to a preference for grey and blue hydrogen due to their lower operational costs, and a lack of sufficient support for other cleaner hydrogen such as waste-to-hydrogen and green hydrogen technologies. In conclusion, the study explores the spatial and planning aspects in the Dong-gu area relating to waste-to-energy planning. It advocates for a behavioral change model for future industrial and municipal leaders and emphasizes the need to capitalize on local resources in scenarios where a decentralized energy hub is established in each community in Dong-gu area. This is particularly important in the event of potential deindustrialization of Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan City in the near future.