Charleston, W.Va. (WVDN) – Leaders of a South Korean advanced technology company are in the Mountain State meeting with economic development officials, university researchers, and state and federal representatives to explore potential sites for a hydrogen gasification facility that would create green energy from forest, plant, and plastic waste products.

John Kyung, founder and CEO of Plagen Co., Ltd., in Seoul, met recently with Mitch Carmichael, Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Commerce, staff from U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito, and local economic development officials in Kanawha, Monongalia and Jefferson counties. As many as 200 new jobs would be created for engineers and waste haulers.

Kyung said the Plagen technology produces hydrogen from various wastes and is modeled after a modified gasification technology that has been used in Austria, Germany, and Sweden over the past 20 years. “Our new facility plans to produce 6.5 million liters per year of green methanol using forest wood waste and plastic wastes as a private investment project,” said Kyung. “We would also run smart farms, utilizing the residual heat from the plants.”

The Plagen CEO said, “The people of West Virginia have been welcoming and encouraging. I look forward to continuing our conversations and putting together the financial, economic and community priorities to make this project a reality.”