Seoul, Nov 6 (IANS): South Korea's demand for hydrogen in the mobility sector jumped 59 per cent through September from a year earlier, data showed on Wednesday.

The combined consumption of hydrogen in the sector reached 6,389 tons over the January-September period, rising sharply from 4,016 tons recorded a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

"Amid the rising number of hydrogen buses in the country, opportunities for people to experience hydrogen products in daily life are increasing," Deputy Minister for Energy Policy Lee Ho-hyeon said, reports Yonhap news agency.

"Since a stable supply of hydrogen is essential to foster the hydrogen mobility industry, the government plans to closely monitor the market and maintain close communication with related ministries, regional governments and companies," Lee added.

The Korea Petroleum Quality & Distribution Authority, which is responsible for hydrogen supply, plans to carry out on-site inspections at hydrogen facilities across the country this month to ensure market stability, the ministry said.

Meanwhile, the government will designate three cities as the nation's first hydrogen-specialised complexes and support their growth into hydrogen industry hubs.

The designation comes after the three cities -- Donghae and Samcheok of Gangwon Province and Pohang of North Gyeongsang Province -- passed preliminary feasibility surveys to carry out hydrogen cluster projects, the government said following a meeting of the government-led Hydrogen Economy Committee.

The Donghae-Samcheok project will see the investment of 317.7 billion won ($231 million) between 2024 and 2028 in building a hydrogen storage and shipment cluster, including space to host 63 hydrogen-related companies in Donghae and the construction of a hydrogen liquefaction plant in Samcheok.

The Pohang project will see the investment of 191.8 billion won over the same period in building a hydrogen fuel cell generation cluster.