World Hydrogen Expo 2026 Opens at KINTEX, Pushing Hydrogen Projects Toward Investment

WHE 2026 unites global hydrogen leaders to drive investment, commercialization, trade and clean hydrogen innovation.

SEOUL, GYEONGGI-DO, SOUTH KOREA, November 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- - International conference with global hydrogen industry leaders
- Policy and technology discussions aimed at investment and commercialization

(Originally Published on November 4, 2026)

The global hydrogen industry has to attract real investment and expand trade between countries, and technology development alone does not get it there. World Hydrogen Expo 2026 (WHE 2026) opened Wednesday, Nov. 4, with a morning ceremony at KINTEX Exhibition Center 2 in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, built around that task.

The three-day event runs to Nov. 6 and is open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (until 4 p.m. on Nov. 6). The WORLD HYDROGEN EXPO 2026 Organizing Committee organizes it, co-chaired by Daejin Jeong, chairman of the Korea Automobile & Mobility Association (KAMA), and Jaehong Kim, chairman of the Korea Hydrogen Alliance (KHA).

WHE 2026 is held together with the fifth Hydrogen Day, a statutory commemorative day. The organizers combined the international conference and the exhibition last year to make the event a meeting place for the global hydrogen industry. This year they are focusing on cooperation among government, industry and the international community, and on turning technology development and policy discussion into actual investment and commercialization.

The slogan is "Hydrogen Moves to Market: Making Bankable Projects Work." Organizers expect about 30,000 visitors, including officials from Korean and foreign governments and international organizations, hydrogen companies, and experts from industry, academia and research institutes.

About 300 people attended the opening ceremony, including Hohyeon Lee, Vice Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment; Jongbae Lee, Member of the National Assembly and co-chair of the National Assembly Hydrogen Economy Forum; and Jeong and Kim. Officials from foreign governments and international organizations and people from domestic and overseas companies and related institutions also attended.

"I congratulate today's recipients of government and ministerial awards, and this event is possible because of all of you," Lee said in his congratulatory remarks. "Along with the climate crisis and AI, in the era of Korea's green transformation (K-GX), we have built about 400 hydrogen refueling stations nationwide as a clean energy source through decarbonization. We will supply clean hydrogen more reliably, and we will lead the change in the hydrogen industry's era of great energy transition."

"Under the slogan 'Hydrogen Moves to Market: Making Bankable Projects Work,' visitors to this event can see innovative technologies from midsize and small companies with strong capabilities across every stage of the value chain, from production to storage, transport and utilization, along with leading hydrogen companies such as Hyundai Motor Group," Jeong said in his welcome address. "We will spare no effort to support this event as a place for global exchange and business creation, where people share the latest trends in the hydrogen industry and look for future commercialization opportunities together."

"The global hydrogen industry stands at an important turning point, where it must attract real investment and expand trade between countries, starting with the fields where carbon reduction and economic viability have been proven," Kim said in his welcome address. "In line with these changes in the global industrial environment, I expect this expo to be a meaningful occasion to discuss cooperation, including technological innovation to create large-scale demand for clean hydrogen, building a global supply chain and invigorating trade, and to find new business opportunities."

After the speeches, the ceremony moved on to government awards for contributors to the hydrogen industry. It then continued with a message performance, in which government, the National Assembly and industry pledged to cooperate on hydrogen's role in the energy transition and decarbonization, and the WHE 2026 opening declaration. Key guests then toured the exhibition hall.

The international conference runs in four tracks: Leadership Insight, Hydrogen Deep Dive, Country Day and Future to TECH. Speakers from across the global hydrogen sector share national hydrogen policies, discuss market trends and explore ways to cooperate internationally. They include Ivana Jemelkova, CEO of the Hydrogen Council; Uwe Remme, head of division at the International Energy Agency (IEA); Laurent Antoni, executive director of the International Partnership for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells in the Economy (IPHE); and Tetsufumi Ikeda, chair of ISO/TC 197.

The programs run on the following timetable. On Nov. 4, the Policy Advisory Committee meets from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. Future to TECH opens with presentations by H2 Innovation Award winners from 10:30 a.m. to noon in Hall 8A. The Hydrogen Day ceremony and WHE 2026 opening event run from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Hall 6C. In the afternoon, the 3rd Hydrogen Specialist Companies Development Forum runs from 1:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the briefing area of the Hydrogen Partnership Zone. The International Clean Hydrogen Forum begins with a pre-event meeting at 1:45 p.m. and keynote speeches in Rooms 401-402 on the fourth floor. Leadership Insight, themed "Making Bankable Projects Work," runs from 2:30 p.m. to 4:34 p.m. in Rooms 403-404. A gala dinner for about 200 guests, including award winners, conference speakers and key figures from Korea and abroad, takes place from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Hall 6C. The H2 Innovation Award ceremony is held during the dinner, from 5:48 p.m. to 6:13 p.m.

The H2 Business Partnership Fair runs in Hall 8 on Nov. 4 and Nov. 5. It links technology and product briefings by Korean hydrogen companies with meetings with overseas buyers.

On Nov. 5, Country Day starts with China from 9:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Room 403, followed by Canada from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. in Room 405. Hydrogen Deep Dive: Global Hydrogen Outlook runs from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Rooms 401-402. The expert sessions of the International Clean Hydrogen Forum run from 10:30 a.m. to 3:20 p.m. in Room 404, and the Future to TECH main session runs from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Hall 8A. Country Day: Germany follows from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. in Room 405.

On Nov. 6, the last day, three Hydrogen Deep Dive sessions are held in the morning. International standards runs from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Room 404, and hydrogen trade runs at the same time in Room 405. Green ammonia runs from 10 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. in Room 406.

The exhibition has 197 companies from 12 countries showing new technologies across hydrogen production, storage and transport, and utilization. Participants include Hyundai Motor Group, Kolon Industries, Hylium Industries, Lightbridge, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power and Bumhan Fuel Cell from Korea, and TMEIC, Henkel Korea and Ebara from overseas. Research institutions such as the Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials (KIMM) and the Korea Testing & Research Institute (KTR) also take part.

WORLD HYDROGEN EXPO 2026 (WHE 2026) is a hydrogen event organized by the WORLD HYDROGEN EXPO 2026 Organizing Committee, co-chaired by KAMA and KHA. It runs from Nov. 4 to Nov. 6 in Halls 7 and 8 at KINTEX Exhibition Center 2 in Goyang. The exhibition (WORLD HYDROGEN EXPO 2026/H2 MEET) is held alongside an international conference and the H2 Business Partnership Fair. Detailed programs are available on the official WHE 2026 website.

Davis Kim
AVING News
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