China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) has issued a notice titled “Circular on Organizing Pilot Projects for Hydrogen Energy Development in the Energy Sector”, outlining plans to launch a series of hydrogen energy pilot programs across selected regions and projects.
Source: Shanghai Securities News
China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) has issued a notice titled “Circular on Organizing Pilot Projects for Hydrogen Energy Development in the Energy Sector”, outlining plans to launch a series of hydrogen energy pilot programs across selected regions and projects. The initiative aims to promote innovation in hydrogen management models, explore diversified development pathways, and establish replicable and scalable practices to support the entire hydrogen value chain—from production and storage to transportation and end use.
According to the Circular, all pilot projects are expected to be operational or complete their designated tasks within three years. The pilots will fall into two categories: project-based and region-based. They will target four key segments of the hydrogen value chain—production, storage and transportation, application, and supporting technologies—across 11 specific directions. These include:
·Large-scale and integrated hydrogen production
·Advanced and flexible off-grid hydrogen production
·Clean and low-carbon hydrogen development
·Long-distance, high-capacity hydrogen transport
·High-density and diversified hydrogen storage
·Green alternatives in oil refining and coal-to-fuel production
·Hydrogen-ammonia power and energy supply
·Long-duration hydrogen-based energy storage
·Integrated hydrogen applications in the energy sector
·Demonstration and testing platforms
·Low-carbon transition pilots based on hydrogen
In the area of large-scale and integrated hydrogen production, the Circular calls for projects in regions with abundant wind, solar, hydropower, nuclear, or biomass resources. These projects will focus on renewable- or nuclear-powered hydrogen production and should be designed to accommodate the intermittency of wind and solar energy. Downstream integration with ammonia, methanol, sustainable aviation fuel, or refining is encouraged.
The renewable energy used in these projects should not exceed 20% of grid-connected output, and the projects should not rely on system balancing resources. Electrolyzer capacity should be no less than 100 megawatts (or at least 20,000 normal cubic meters per hour for gasification projects), with a load adjustment range of 50% to 100%.
For the low-carbon transition pilots, the Circular encourages deployment in areas such as mines, ports, logistics centers, and industrial parks. These pilots will focus on full-chain technological integration and scenario-based applications, including renewable hydrogen production, hydrogen and energy storage, and multi-energy synergies. The goal is to establish zero-carbon energy systems centered on hydrogen.
The pilots will also explore mechanisms for direct green power connections and carbon value realization, in a bid to scale up renewable energy use across industrial zones.
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