Intl hydrogen energy conference held in Sichuan

The 2021 International Conference on Cooperation in the Hydrogen Energy Industry is held in Chengdu, Sichuan province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The 2021 International Conference on Cooperation in the Hydrogen Energy Industry was successfully held online and offline in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on May 28.

Hosted by the Green & Smart Energy Organization in cooperation with the Sichuan Provincial Bureau of Economic Cooperation, the Construction Bank of China Sichuan Branch, and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Sichuan Council, it was the first high-level energy-related summit held in Sichuan since China made its international commitment to achieve a peak in carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality.

The conference was attended by Yang Xingping, vice-governor of Sichuan province; Long Yongtu, a member of the Steering Committee of the Green & Smart Energy Organization, chief negotiator for China's accession to the WTO, and former vice-minister of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation; and Wu Yin, leader of the National Energy Planning Expert Committee of the 14th Five-Year Plan and former deputy director of the National Energy Administration. All of these individuals delivered opening speeches at the event.

The 2021 International Conference on Cooperation in the Hydrogen Energy Industry is held in Chengdu, Sichuan province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Representatives from more than 120 international companies and organizations took part in the conference, including the International Association for Hydrogen Energy (IAHE); the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology; the Hydrogen Europe Research; Chiyoda Corporation; and Verbund AG; as well as leading Chinese groups related to the hydrogen energy field such as Shenzhen Energy Corporation, Dongfang Electric and the State Power Investment Corporation.

"The proposal of achieving a peak in carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality means that China, as the largest developing country, will complete the world's highest reduction in carbon emission intensity, and it will take the world's shortest time to move from peak carbon dioxide emissions to carbon neutrality." In his speech, Long Yongtu predicted that China will make historic progress in carbon reduction and pollution control in 2021.

Wu Jianbo, secretary-general of the Green & Smart Energy Organization, a global non-profit organization whose mission is to "accelerate carbon neutrality, promote clean and low-carbon transformation, and the smart development of global energy," said that in the future, major industrial projects will be encouraged to start operations in Sichuan.

At present, the organization is vigorously attracting new energy companies from Europe, the United States and Japan to develop hydrogen energy in Sichuan, and to enhance the level of international cooperation in production capacity.

The 2021 International Conference on Cooperation in the Hydrogen Energy Industry is held in Chengdu, Sichuan province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Tadashi Ishibashi, general manager of East Asia Chemical Engineering for Itochu Corporation, reached cooperation intentions with Chengdu-based Dongfang Electric in multiple aspects of the hydrogen supply chain, contributing to industrial collaboration between China and Japan.

International guests attended the online conference and delivered speeches emphasizing hydrogen's important role in the global energy transition. Laurent Antoni, president of Hydrogen Europe Research, provided an overview of hydrogen research and innovation projects across Europe. He remarked that there is "unanimous international consensus that without considering the hydrogen vector, it will not be possible to achieve the targets proposed at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) and carbon neutrality."

John W. Sheffield, president of the International Association for Hydrogen Energy, introduced the organization's role in hydrogen research and highlighted the contribution of Chinese researchers to their published journals. Meanwhile, Sarah Neumann, from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, spoke specifically on the importance of hydrogen for achieving Austria's goal of carbon neutrality by 2040.

The 2021 International Conference on Cooperation in the Hydrogen Energy Industry is held in Chengdu, Sichuan province. [Photo provided to China Daily]

This conference highlighted Sichuan's strategic focus on promoting the hydrogen industry and its place in the global hydrogen industry – given the province's rich potential for green hydrogen production. It also showcased hydrogen's role in achieving the deep decarbonization of transportation, industry and construction, and in contributing to the comprehensive green transformation of society and the economy.

The 2021 International Conference on Cooperation in the Hydrogen Energy Industry has played a role in inspiring industrial knowledge, building bridges for cooperation and incubating major projects, and is of great significance to promoting the rise of Sichuan's hydrogen energy industry.

The organizers hope that domestic and foreign industry organizations and well-known enterprises will continue to pay attention to Sichuan, promote Sichuan, accelerate the deployment of their businesses in Sichuan and promote new energy industries, especially the hydrogen energy industry, to grow bigger and stronger in Sichuan. It is also hoped that these entities will continue to contribute to the green and low-carbon transformation of Sichuan's society and economy.