[SMM Aluminum Express News] A former aluminium smelter site in Kurri Kurri, New South Wales, Australia, has been earmarked for a proposed 540 MW data centre campus development. The project, led by developer Hydrogenic, plans to repurpose around 66 hectares of the former smelter site into up to nine data centre buildings, leveraging the site's existing power infrastructure and grid connectivity. The development could create one of Australia's largest data centre hubs and provide a new industrial use for the long-idled aluminium smelter site.

This week, rare earth oxide and metal prices outside China remained largely stable amid sluggish trading, while price fluctuations in China had not yet been transmitted. Industrial developments were intensive: India’s Mecwin teamed up with Germany’s Fraunhofer to lay out the entire NdFeB industry chain; Sweden approved a 25-year lease for the North Kärr rare earth mine, and Namibia’s Kieshoehe project verified deep potential. Iluka obtained an Australian government loan to advance the Eneabba refinery, and ULVAC, driven by surging demand in Europe and the United States, planned to build a new melting furnace production line in Japan. U.S. and Australian enterprises achieved breakthroughs in high-purity rare earth refining and hard disk recycling technologies, while Canada and Japan actively promoted cooperation on the critical minerals supply chain.

BHP said blast furnace decarbonisation remains crucial as over 70% of global steel output still uses the BF-BOF route. The company noted that EAF and DRI expansion faces scrap supply and iron ore quality constraints, while BF emissions can be reduced through recycling, hydrogen injection, CCUS and higher-grade raw materials. With new integrated steel plants costing around 4 billion USD and 85% of China and India’s BF capacity less than 20 years old, full replacement remains difficult in the near term.

On June 30, 2026, the National Energy Administration issued the Guide to Data Classification and Grading for the Energy Industry (2026 Edition), under which hydrogen energy was officially classified as a first-level energy data category, positioned alongside traditional fossil fuels such as coal, crude oil, and natural gas. This marks the end of the domestic hydrogen industry's single demonstration phase and its full entry into a development cycle characterized by large-scale, standardized systems. This top-level data system adjustment reshapes hydrogen energy's national strategic positioning, and by leveraging a unified data management framework to link the entire chain of green hydrogen cost reduction, storage and transportation infrastructure, and diversified applications, the industry is expected to usher in a new expansion cycle. I. Policy Iteration: The Strategic Status of Hydrogen Energy Achieves a Hierarchical Leap (A) Core Basis for the Document's Issuance The Guide serves as a supporting detailed rule for the implementation of the Data Security Law and the Administrative Measures for Energy Industry Data Security (Trial), delineating a total of 12 first-level energy data categories, including coal, oil and gas, and hydrogen energy. For the first time, hydrogen energy has been incorporated into the basic energy data sequence, integrating the hydrogen energy industry into the national unified energy security regulatory system. (B) Policy Evolution Trajectory In 2022, the Medium and Long-Term Plan for the Development of the Hydrogen Energy Industry (2021-2035) legally affirmed the energy attribute of hydrogen energy for the first time, setting the goal of diversified commercial applications by 2035. With the implementation of this 2026 data classification document, hydrogen energy has completed its identity transition from a "demonstration and pilot industry" to a "national basic energy category." Industrial development has shifted from being driven purely by policy subsidies to a new phase where policy guidance, scenario validation, and market operations run in parallel. (C) Three Supporting Logics of the Top-Level Strategy Energy Security: Global geopolitical conflicts have intensified fluctuations in oil and gas imports. In 2025, China's dependence on foreign crude oil was 72.3%, and that on foreign natural gas was 43.8%. Hydrogen energy, produced from renewable resources such as wind, solar, and hydropower, can substantially reduce dependence on imported fossil energy while simultaneously fulfilling the carbon peaking and neutrality targets. Correction of Domestic Supply-Demand Mismatch: In 2024, China's total hydrogen production stood at 37.28 million mt, firmly ranking first in the world. Domestic planned green hydrogen capacity accounts for 52% of the global total planned green hydrogen capacity, yet the average annual operating rate of commissioned green hydrogen facilities is only 23.6%, with substantial electrolyzer capacity remaining idle. Unified data standards will compel the industry to shift from blindly expanding hydrogen production capacity toward demand-side development oriented to matching downstream consumption scenarios. Breakthrough in Global Hydrogen Competition: The EU will implement its Hydrogen Strategy Act in 2026, and the US allocates over $9 billion annually in hydrogen industry subsidies. Europe and the United States are accelerating their efforts to seize the discourse power in hydrogen standards and trade. By perfecting its local standard system through hydrogen energy data classification management, China aims to shore up its industrial digital shortcomings and enhance the international competitiveness of its hydrogen energy projects and equipment exports. II. Industrial Empowerment Value of the First-Level Hydrogen Data Classification System (A) Establishing a Bottom Line for Whole-Chain Data Compliance and Security The Guide uniformly categorizes all energy data into three control levels: general, important, and core, covering the entire process of hydrogen production, storage, transportation, refueling, and utilization. It specifies mandatory control rules: Geographic infrastructure data for hydrogen refueling stations, hydrogen production bases, and pipeline networks with coordinate accuracy ≤100 meters is classified as important data, with strict limits on external disclosure. Real-time operational control commands for water electrolysis hydrogen production units and sensor data from high-pressure storage and transportation equipment are classified as core data, with unencrypted external transmission prohibited. Electricity load data from wind- and solar-power integrated new energy plants supporting electrolytic hydrogen production is protected under a tiered scheme, with electricity consumption data from special-grade green electricity hydrogen projects implementing the highest protection standards. All enterprises are required to establish full-life-cycle data ledgers, mandatorily use commercial encryption technology, and simultaneously implement the protection requirements for Classified Protection of Cybersecurity 2.0 and critical information infrastructure, in order to avert risks such as the leakage of monitoring data from coal chemical and hydrogen plants or cyber attacks on industrial control systems. (B) Restoring Industry Investment Confidence and Reducing Uncertainty in Market-Oriented Development By year-end 2025, a total of 627 wind- and solar-power water electrolysis hydrogen projects had been filed nationwide, with a planned total investment exceeding 860 billion yuan. However, only 148 projects actually commenced construction, yielding a comprehensive construction start rate of 23.6%. The core pain point of the industry's sluggish investment was the absence of a unified statistical scope, cost accounting method, and operational supervision standard for hydrogen energy, causing capital to remain on the long-term sidelines. This policy improves the investment environment in three aspects: The National Energy Administration concurrently released unified hydrogen energy data statistical specifications, eliminating the need for enterprises to build their own differentiated data systems and reducing per-project digital compliance costs by 30%-45%. It is also aligned with 19 current draft national hydrogen standards for public comment, achieving bidirectional unification of data standards with equipment, storage and transportation, and refueling technology standards, thereby boosting the export recognition of domestically produced electrolyzers and hydrogen storage vessels. Standardized data furnishes financial institutions with a unified basis for cost estimation and project revenue assessment, substantially diminishing investment risks arising from policy changes. Supporting policies simultaneously tightened industry assessment: In April 2026, the National Energy Administration clarified dynamic elimination mechanisms for nine major hydrogen pilot regions. Projects are assessed monthly on economic viability based on operational data after commissioning; those without a stable profit model for six consecutive months are directly withdrawn, marking the industry's complete departure from the era of extensive subsidies. (III) Enabling Data Interoperability Across the Industry Chain to Revitalize Idle Hydrogen Capacity The Guidelines categorize a secondary-level hydrogen data catalog, covering seven segments: planning, engineering construction, hydrogen production, tube trailer storage and transportation, hydrogen refueling, transportation/industrial consumption, and technological R&D, thereby establishing a framework for data interoperability across the entire industry chain. Benchmark practice: Rongcheng New Energy built China’s first system for capitalizing hydrogen entire industry chain data assets. Its hydrogen big data platform aggregates data from all dimensions including hydrogen production units, tube trailers, hydrogen refueling stations, heavy truck operations, and equipment maintenance, accumulating a total of 21.08 billion real-time operational data entries. Leveraging cross-segment data synergy, the enterprise reduced its overall hydrogen production, storage, and transportation costs by 12.7% and lowered equipment idle rate by 18%. Meanwhile, the policy mandates that enterprises holding important or core hydrogen data undergo at least one security risk assessment per year. Cross-border data transfers of hydrogen technology and capacity data, as well as cross-enterprise data flows, must be preceded by a specialized risk review. This not only controls cross-border data security but also delineates a clear compliance pathway for domestic enterprises’ hydrogen project cooperation outside China, facilitating the export of green hydrogen equipment and complete hydrogen production processes. III. Conclusion Elevating hydrogen to a first-level energy data category is a landmark policy move that incorporates hydrogen into the management of the fundamental energy system. On one hand, through three-tier data security controls, it fills the gaps in digital regulation of hydrogen and mitigates cybersecurity risks in the industry. On the other hand, it unifies industry standards for statistics, operations, and cost data, alleviating three core pain points: idle green hydrogen capacity, investment wait-and-see attitude, and fragmentation of the industry chain. Against the backdrop of intensifying global hydrogen competition and China's dual goals of energy supply security and carbon reduction, data standardization will accelerate the large-scale deployment of green hydrogen, the comprehensive layout of storage and transportation pipeline networks, and propel hydrogen from a niche demonstration track to a core emerging industry that supports China's energy transition and participates in global energy competition.

Recently, FTXT Energy, jointly with Brazil's SENAI CIMATEC (Innovation and Advanced Technology Center of the National Service for Industrial Training), officially launched a road test and validation project for hydrogen fuel cell trucks in Brazil. This test is being jointly advanced by the technical team of FTXT Energy, the commercial vehicle engineering team of Great Wall Motor, and the expert team of SENAI CIMATEC. The test will be conducted in stages to validate aspects such as vehicle power performance, driving range, high-pressure hydrogen storage safety, and real-world local road operating conditions. Previously, the "New Long March No. 1" hydrogen heavy-duty truck, jointly developed by FTXT Energy and Great Wall Motor Commercial Vehicles, arrived in Brazil in August 2025, becoming the first hydrogen heavy-duty truck introduced to the country. This road test will accumulate key data for the commercial application of hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty trucks in Brazil. The test will focus on the system efficiency, stability, and adaptability of the vehicles in Brazil's complex environments, and will collect data on how factors such as temperature, altitude, road surface types, and driving conditions affect the performance of the fuel cell system. Additionally, the test will verify the vehicles' adaptability to different hydrogen sources, including pathways such as electrolysis hydrogen and hydrogen from ethanol reforming, providing a reference for Brazil to build a localized hydrogen supply and vehicle application system. SENAI CIMATEC is an authoritative testing institution for light and heavy vehicles in Brazil, having participated in multiple national industrial projects such as the Brazil Mobility Program, the Brazilian National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP), the Brazilian Electricity Regulatory Agency (ANEEL), and the Brazilian Industrial Innovation Enterprise Support Program, and has experience in vehicle testing and industrialisation projects. Recently, the institution, in partnership with HYTRON and Petrogal Brasil, inaugurated Brazil's first green hydrogen demonstration project in Camaçari, Bahia, covering aspects including solar power generation, water electrolysis for hydrogen production, hydrogen refueling station construction, and end-user vehicle applications. Previously, leveraging the market resources of Great Wall Motor Group in Brazil, FTXT Energy has signed memorandums of understanding with institutions including the University of São Paulo, the Brazilian Institute of Technology, the Itaipu Technological Park, JAQ under the Nautica Group, and SENAI CIMATEC, covering areas such as hydrogen fuel cell vehicle R&D, hydrogen refueling infrastructure construction, and technical exchanges. The launch of this road test marks a substantive advancement in the cooperation between FTXT Energy and its Brazilian industrial partners. In the future, the two parties will continue to explore areas such as hydrogen-powered ships and stationary power generation, promoting the expansion of hydrogen energy applications from vehicle demonstrations to a multi-scenario, full-chain ecosystem.

The Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show (KLIMS 2026) was recently held at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC). Weishi Energy showcased its high-performance fuel cell system, presenting its self-developed core hydrogen products and technological achievements to the Malaysian and ASEAN markets. The 120kW fuel cell system exhibited this time is Weishi Energy’s flagship product designed for commercial and industrial applications. The system features high power output, high system efficiency, and independent control over core components. It is compatible with various vehicle types such as buses, logistics vehicles, heavy trucks, and sanitation vehicles, and can also be used for stationary applications like hydrogen power generation . In response to Southeast Asia’s high-temperature and high-humidity climate, Weishi Energy has carried out targeted adaptive optimizations on the system to enhance the stability and reliability of the equipment under all-weather, high-intensity operating conditions. These optimizations give it not only technical demonstration value, but also a practical foundation for deployment and application in the local market. KLIMS 2026 is an influential mobility exhibition in Malaysia and the ASEAN region. This edition attracted approximately 200,000 visitors, with participating brands including 16 mainstream automakers. During the show, Weishi Energy's booth drew attention from local visitors and received recognition from the Malaysian royal family and government, reflecting the potential value of hydrogen technology in the country’s green transportation and energy transition. Previously, Weishi Energy had accumulated operational experience in markets such as Europe and Brazil. In the future, the company will partner with its Malaysian subsidiary of Great Wall Motor, leveraging local channels and service networks to explore the application of hydrogen vehicles and hydrogen power generation systems in Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas, with a focus on public transportation, port logistics, urban sanitation, and green power generation. As Malaysia accelerates its carbon neutrality efforts, hydrogen equipment and fuel cell systems are expected to become an important supplement to the low-carbon transition of transportation and energy. Weishi Energy’s appearance at KLIMS also signals that its overseas expansion is further extending into the Southeast Asian market.