Green hydrogen gets a leg-up with new project

A 10,000-metric-ton hydrogen production project, located in Ordos, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, started generating the clean fuel on Thursday, adding to China's capabilities in large-scale, new-energy green hydrogen output, industry experts said.

This is a pilot project that uses local solar power to produce hydrogen.

The solar project has an annual power generation capacity of 740 million kilowatt-hours, of which 20 percent will be connected to the local grid, while the rest will be applied to generate hydrogen, its operator China Three Gorges Corp said.

The hydrogen generated will be used mainly in the chemicals and transportation fields and help achieve deep and large-scale decarbonization of transport, industry and buildings, it said.

"The success of hydrogen production will accumulate experience for the large-scale and commercial development of green hydrogen production in China," said Du Zhuoman, research director of the hydrogen department at TrendBank, an emerging industry research and consulting company.

Green hydrogen refers to hydrogen produced via electrolysis powered by renewable energy sources.

The project will further promote the development of the clean fuel and green hydrogen will be a key factor in delivering on China's ambitions to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2060, she said.

According to Du, more than 200 green hydrogen projects are being planned, constructed or operational in the country, with most in the chemicals and refinery sectors.

In addition to China Three Gorges Corp, domestic companies and governments at all levels are making all-out efforts to promote the hydrogen energy sector.

Companies including China Petrochemical Corp and State Power Investment Corp have laid out specific hydrogen development plans to drive the sector.

Domestic energy companies in China, including China Petrochemical Corp and China National Petroleum Corp, have also been charting out plans to build long-distance hydrogen pipelines in the country to meet growing hydrogen demand in the transport sector and accelerate green energy development.

According to a report released by the World Economic Forum at the just-concluded 14th Annual Meeting of the New Champions in Tianjin, China is the world's largest hydrogen producer and consumer. However, due to cost, infrastructure and demand challenges, green hydrogen currently makes up a tiny fraction of the country's hydrogen production and consumption.

With strong policy guidance and incentives, China has the potential to commercialize green hydrogen technologies to transform its industrial system and the wider economy, it said.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn