I. Policy Review: Hydrogen Policy Developments
(I) Domestic Policies
National Energy Administration:Issued the "Greenhouse Gas Voluntary Emission Reduction Project Methodology: Renewable Energy Water Electrolysis for Hydrogen Production (CCER-01-004-V01)". The notice proposes that local ecological environment and energy departments should support renewable energy water electrolysis for hydrogen production projects and SF6 recovery and purification projects for electrical equipment to participate in trading. It encourages wind and solar power hydrogen production projects to enhance benefits by integrating with hydrogen transmission pipelines and natural gas pipeline networks, and promotes the coordinated development of hydrogen production and pipeline hydrogen transmission. This means wind and solar power hydrogen production projects will gain an additional CCER trading revenue channel. The renewable energy water electrolysis for hydrogen production methodology focuses on the energy sector and is applicable to new projects meeting specific conditions: they must use electricity from their own wind or PV power plants (self-generation for self-consumption, under the same legal entity), and the power generation facilities and hydrogen products must not participate in other emission reduction mechanisms; they must also comply with water resource management requirements, have monitoring data connected to the network, and adhere to laws and policies. Notably, considering the industry is in its early stages with high costs and risks, eligible projects can be exempted from additionality demonstration.
National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC):Issued the "Statistical Classification of the Low-Altitude Economy and Its Core Industries (Trial)". The document states that the low-altitude economy is a comprehensive economic form driven by low-altitude aviation activities that spur innovation in related industries and application scenarios. This classification defines the scope of the low-altitude economy into four major categories: 01 Low-altitude Manufacturing, 02 Low-altitude Operations, 03 Low-altitude Infrastructure and Information Services, and 04 Low-altitude Supporting Industries. This includes the manufacturing of fuels and petroleum products for low-altitude use, referring to the production of fuels, petroleum products, and chemical products for low-altitude aircraft, including aviation gasoline, kerosene, biofuels, lubricants, hydrogen energy, and other aviation fuels and petroleum products consumed during the production, use, maintenance, and repair of low-altitude aircraft, as well as sealants and adhesives, cleaners, paint strippers, anti-corrosion supplies, and various pure chemical reagents.
Urumqi, Xinjiang:"Urumqi Hydrogen Energy Industry Development Three-Year Action Plan (2025-2027)". Overall Goals (2027 Core Indicators) Industry Chain: The entire industry chain of hydrogen "production, storage, transportation, refueling, and application" is basically formed, with initial results in industry cultivation; Green Hydrogen Capacity: Completion of more than 3 integrated wind and solar power hydrogen production projects, adding no less than 20kt/year of green hydrogen capacity; Infrastructure: Construction of more than 5 hydrogen refueling stations (including comprehensive energy stations), with continuous improvement in the layout of the hydrogen storage and transportation network; Demonstration Applications: Demonstration operation of more than 300 fuel cell vehicle units, covering areas such as public transport, logistics, and mines.
Xiamen Development and Reform Commission: Draft for Comments on Several Policies and Measures to Promote High-Quality Development of the Hydrogen Energy Industry in Xiamen, the draft proposes to support enterprises in constructing new projects and expanding production capacity related to hydrogen energy equipment and key materials (including technological upgrades and efficiency improvements), providing subsidies of up to 10% of the investment in production equipment and facilities, with a maximum of 30 million yuan per project; it also supports the demonstration applications of hydrogen energy in transportation, industry, energy, and construction. Each year, a batch of advanced and influential hydrogen energy benchmark scenarios will be solicited and selected, offering rewards of up to 30% of the total project investment, with a cap of 1 million yuan.
(II) Overseas Developments
Tokyo University of Science, Japan: Developed a new type of dye-sensitized photocatalyst that can effectively capture long-wavelength visible light for efficient hydrogen production, outperforming traditional photocatalytic systems.
IVECO BUS: Delivered its hydrogen fuel city bus, the GX 337 H2 LINIUM, to Lorient Agglomeration in France, marking the first delivery of this model in Europe by IVECO BUS.
ZeroAvia: Secured private capital from a group of strategic investors focused on climate. In the short term, ZeroAvia is expected to focus on national defense, drones, and early commercial aviation applications. Its key priority is the Super Stack Flex modular fuel cell system, which has already been supplied to defense customers and positioned as a dual-use platform for both military and civilian aviation markets.
II. Corporate Dynamics: Project Signings and Technical Collaborations
(I) Project Intelligence
Baosteel Zhanjiang Iron & Steel Co., Ltd.: Its first domestic near-zero carbon steel production line with an annual capacity of one million tons was fully operational at Baosteel Zhanjiang, successfully producing 220 mt of molten steel on the day of commissioning.
Guangdong Yuntao Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd.: Completed the delivery of 201 hydrogen commercial vehicles to multiple companies including Zhikar Technology and Guanghuan Factory in Guangzhou Baiyun, and signed a procurement agreement for 118 hydrogen vehicles with Guangzhou Jiaoneng Ronghe Operation Management Co., Ltd., setting a new record for regional bulk deployment of hydrogen commercial vehicles with a total of 319 units. The delivered models include 18-ton wing logistics trucks, 4.5-ton refrigerated trucks, and hydrogen tractors, all equipped with the "Pilot One" fuel cell system.
Tianjin Rongcheng New Energy Technology Group Co., Ltd.: Recently delivered a total of 65 hydrogen vehicles, with 30 hydrogen heavy-duty trucks delivered to Tianjin Hande Logistics Co., Ltd. for the exclusive use of CNOOC's equipment and material transportation in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei-Shandong region; another 35 were delivered to Tianjin Development Zone Xintianli Trading Co., Ltd., mainly serving container port cargo pick-up and delivery at Tianjin Port.
Dongguan Energy Investment Group Co., Ltd.: The inauguration ceremony for Dongguan's first hydrogen refueling station was held at the Dongguan Energy Shatian Hydrogen Refueling Station on Shatian Avenue, Shatian Town, Dongguan City. This is a Level 3 station primarily serving hydrogen fuel cell logistics vehicles, sanitation trucks, heavy-duty trucks, etc., with an investment scale reaching 15 million yuan. It has a designed maximum refueling capacity of 1,000 kg/day, a maximum working pressure of 35 MPa for the hydrogen dispenser, and can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 15.48 mt daily.
Zhijiangxi Service Area Hydrogen Refueling Station on the Han-Yi Expressway: Since its commissioning in March 2024, it has maintained a safe and stable operation record, delivering outstanding performance with solid results. As of now, it has cumulatively dispensed nearly 100 mt of hydrogen, provided refueling services for 5,000 vehicles, and achieved 15,000 hours of safe equipment operation.
Hydroyun (Henan) New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.: A strategic cooperation achievement with the Yutong Group – 50 hydrogen fuel cell tractor trucks were officially delivered to the customer. This delivery included two main series: 10 units of the 180kW long-driving range version, specifically designed for long-haul trunk logistics with a driving range of up to 600 km, meeting cross-regional transport needs and significantly improving transport efficiency; and 40 units of the large battery capacity version, optimized for medium- and short-distance, high-load transport scenarios with improved battery system and power matching, offering a pure electric range of 170 km, a pure hydrogen range of 330 km, and a comprehensive range of 500 km. They possess excellent load capacity and gradeability, suitable for short-distance shuttle transport scenarios such as ports and industrial parks.
China Classification Society (CCS): The naming and delivery ceremony was held for the 6,300 m³ LPG/liquid ammonia carrier "An Tai Yuan", for which CCS executed the plan approval and construction survey. This vessel was also the last newbuilding delivered by the Dalian Branch in 2025, marking a perfect conclusion to the construction survey work for the "14th Five-Year Plan" period.
Feichi Auto Technology: The 49T hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty truck, co-developed with partners, was officially delivered to a client in the Middle East.
(II) Enterprise Dynamics
Shaanxi Hydrogen Research Institute: Two national standards compiled by Shaanxi Hydrogen Research Institute, Southwest Chemical Research Institute, and other units were officially released by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the Standardization Administration of China. The two national standards are "Hydrogen - Part 1: Industrial Hydrogen" (GB/T 3634.1-2025) and "Hydrogen - Part 2: Pure Hydrogen, High-Purity Hydrogen and Ultra-Pure Hydrogen" (GB/T 3634.2-2025). Both were proposed by the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation and will be officially implemented from May 1, 2026.
Meijin Energy: The Department of Ecology and Environment of Shanxi Province officially announced the "Pilot List for the Shanxi Provincial Product Carbon Footprint Management System (Second Batch)", and Meijin Energy was selected as a pilot in the Shanxi Provincial Product Carbon Footprint Management System.
Zhongye Wukan Engineering Technology Co., Ltd.:The Forum and Groundbreaking Ceremony for the R&D and Application Demonstration Base Project of Underground Distributed Hydrogen Storage Devices was grandly held in Wuhan. It is understood that this project is the first R&D and application demonstration base project for underground distributed hydrogen storage devices in Central China, a key scientific and technological achievement transformation project in Wuhan, and a vivid practice of the deeply integrated innovation mechanism of "industry-university-research-application" in the hydrogen energy field.
III. Technological Progress: Breakthroughs in Efficiency and Cost
(I) Production, Storage, and Transportation Sector
Beijing Hydrogen Energy Innovation Center:At the "Hydrogen Heart, Peer Cooperation, Creating and Winning the Future" Beijing Hydrogen Energy Innovation Center Achievements Release Conference, the center announced the R&D achievements of a forward-designed integrated hydrogen-electric chassis for heavy-duty trucks. The project's Version 2.0 heavy-duty truck achieved a hydrogen consumption of 7.1 kg per 100 kilometers under plain conditions, and the vehicle supports flash charging, with refueling completed in 10-15 minutes.
CIMC ENRIC:The product of the 38.7 m³ Type II Tube Skid Container project, developed by its Shijiazhuang Enric Gas Machinery Co., Ltd., successfully rolled off the production line.
Chinese Academy of Sciences:The new technology of Sprayed Ultra-High Performance Concrete (SUHPC), jointly developed by CCCC Second Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd. and the Wuhan Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was successfully applied in the initial tunnel support engineering of China's first rock cavern hydrogen energy storage system project—the Hubei Daye Rock Cavern Hydrogen Energy Storage System.
Foshan Xianhu Laboratory:The industry's first "Zero-Carbon Ammonia-Fueled Aluminum Billet Heating Furnace" for aluminum extrusion production was released at Foshan Xianhu Laboratory. This equipment achieves zero-carbon operation in the aluminum processing heating stage, marking a significant step forward in the green transformation of China's aluminum processing industry.
(II) Fuel Cell Technology/Product Developments
South China University of Technology:The research team led by Chen Yu discovered a Ce₀.₆Ni₀.₂Cu₀.₂O₂ nanocatalyst with a heterogeneous structure, contributing to high-performance direct methanol protonic ceramic fuel cells.
Wuhan University of Technology:Professor Tang Haolin's team collaborated with Professor Jin Huanyu from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. They proposed a strategy of "coupling electron-withdrawing groups to enhance proton delocalization," which reduced the proton delocalization energy barrier in perfluorosulfonimide-biphenyl* acid (PFSI-BPA) membranes through molecular structure design, achieving a synergistic improvement in efficient proton conduction and thermal stability. This was confirmed through a combination of in-situ measurements and theoretical calculations.
Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology:By carefully designing the structure in a titanium dioxide electrolyte and leveraging the synergy between polystyrene sphere templates and lithium-based electrodes, the team successfully induced an "online in-situ structural transformation" within the battery, ultimately forming a stable lithium-titanium-oxygen-carbon heterogeneous structure.
