China ramps up pilot hydrogen programme to meet 2035 targets

China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) has unveiled a nationwide pilot programme to scale hydrogen production, infrastructure, and end-use by 2035, Hydrogen Insight reported. The plan follows a related initiative released on December 31, 2024, by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which focused on accelerating low-carbon hydrogen adoption in key industrial sectors.

The NEA programme outlines 11 categories of pilot projects—three for production, two for storage and transport, four for end-use, and others for integrated hubs and research. It sets specific technical benchmarks to guide deployment.

Large-scale green hydrogen plants must have at least 100MW of capacity or produce over 20,000 normal cubic metres (Nm³) per hour. These projects can use up to 20% grid power and must run at a minimum 50% operational load. Off-grid production, especially in remote locations, is also encouraged, with a minimum electrolyser size of 10MW.

China has already made progress in green hydrogen. Envision Energy’s 500MW project in Chifeng began production in 2023. The new pilot scheme aims to accelerate such developments and ensure broader adoption.

Clean and low-carbon hydrogen pilots will utilise by-product hydrogen or apply carbon capture to fossil-based hydrogen, producing at least 5,000Nm³ per hour.

Transport pilots must cover at least 100km via pipelines or deploy vehicles carrying 600kg of hydrogen. Liquefaction plants must process five tonnes per day, and storage pilots must handle 20,000Nm³.

End-use pilots will test hydrogen in refining, fuel cells, power generation, and energy storage. Targets include producing 1,000 tonnes per year of renewable hydrogen in refineries and deploying 0.5MW fuel cell systems. Power pilots will run 10MW gas turbines on 15% hydrogen or ammonia blends and 300MW coal boilers on 10% blends. Long-duration storage pilots must support 1MW output for four hours.

The MIIT’s December 2024 plan supports this national strategy. It seeks to lower costs and stimulate demand to meet the targets of China’s 2021–2035 hydrogen roadmap. By 2027, the steel, ammonia, methanol, and refining sectors are expected to deploy low-carbon hydrogen at scale, although no exact volume targets were specified.

The MIIT also promotes hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (FCEV) use in logistics, ports, and mining, and supports investment in green methanol and low-carbon ammonia for aviation and agriculture. Hydrogen metallurgy is another priority, especially for reducing emissions in steelmaking.

One key challenge remains: cost. Renewable-based hydrogen in northwest China costs about Yuan 1.4 per cubic metre (19 cents), while coal-based hydrogen is significantly cheaper at Yuan 0.6–0.8 per cubic metre.

To reduce costs, MIIT recommends building hydrogen projects in regions with abundant renewable power and promoting direct consumption of generated electricity instead of grid reliance.

With these steps, China is on track to meet its 2025 goal of producing 100,000–200,000 metric tonnes of renewable hydrogen annually. However, the success of these pilot projects and demand creation measures will be crucial for long-term growth.