China aims for major breakthroughs in hydrogen energy development over next 5 years

China is leading the global hydrogen energy market in both production and consumption, with its renewable hydrogen capacity now accounting for over 50 percent of the world's total, according to an industry report.

The China Hydrogen Energy Development Report (2026), recently released by the National Energy Administration, shows that the country's full hydrogen value chain — spanning production, storage, transportation, and application — experienced explosive growth in 2025.

Operational renewable hydrogen capacity surpassed 250,000 metric tons per year, more than doubling from the previous year.

Infrastructure development is actively keeping pace with production. By June 2026, China had established approximately 620 hydrogen refueling stations and put over 350 kilometers of pure hydrogen pipelines into operation.

The report noted that independent technological and equipment breakthroughs across multiple segments — coupled with accelerated development pathways for green ammonia and green methanol — are pushing the sector's global influence to new heights.

Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-30), the country aims to achieve major breakthroughs in industrial scale and commercial application scenarios.

The report projects that annual green hydrogen demand will range between 2.4 million and 4.3 million tons during this period, with the total output value of the entire industrial chain expected to exceed 1 trillion yuan ($139 billion).

During the next five years, hydrogen will be deeply integrated into the nation's broader economic and social development, creating massive scale effects in areas such as industrial decarbonization and the green transition of the transportation sector, it said.

Priority will be given to the comprehensive regional development of hydrogen, smoothly connecting various storage and transport infrastructures, and embedding hydrogen deeply into the country's new energy system, said the report.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn