Leading industrial gas heavyweight Linde plc has signed a long-term agreement to build, own and operate four new hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) in Chungnam, South Korea.

The 15-year contract was signed with the Korea Expressway Corporation (KEC) and will see the four new stations operational by December 2020.

South Korea unveiled ambitious plans last year to have 80,000 hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles on South Korea’s roads by 2022.

The plans were unveiled by President Moon Jae-in as he announced his government’s determination to build a hydrogen economy. The South Korean Government sees hydrogen as a new engine for economic growth and central to the country’s shift to a low-carbon economy in the long-term.