South African utility Eskom has extended its registration fee waiver for small-scale embedded generation ('SSEG') systems under 50 kW until September 30. The waiver, originally set to expire in March, aims to encourage safe and compliant grid connections without deterring solar adoption. Eskom is also testing a new prepaid option for residential rooftop solar customers. While the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association ('SAPVIA') welcomed the extension for removing the financial barrier to compliance, it urged local municipalities to streamline their own cumbersome approval processes, which continue to delay the national energy transition.

Capacity side, according to incomplete statistics, China’s alkaline electrolyser market remained at 43.77 GW and the PEM electrolyser market remained at 2.7 GW, with no new capacity added. There was no offline delivery information this week. Project-related updates: PetroChina Shenzhen New Energy Research Institute Co., Ltd.: It issued a processing tender for its brine hydrogen production electrolyser. Funding for the tender project was self-raised by the enterprise, with a contribution ratio of 100%. It is understood that procurement of necessary raw materials and components included, but was not limited to, integrated electrolyser materials such as electrodes, end plates, bipolar plates, separators, and gaskets. Suppliers were also required to provide essential auxiliary accessories for the electrolyser, including cooling towers, chillers, and potassium hydroxide, in accordance with the purchaser’s requirements. Guangxi University of Science and Technology: It procured a hydrogen-fuel low-speed hybrid autonomous vehicle experimental system from Hefei Zhongke Shengu Technology Development Co., Ltd., with a transaction price of 844,800 yuan. Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences: It issued a procurement notice for a 500 W hydrogen fuel cell testing platform. It is understood that the testing platform will be used for performance, efficiency, and durability testing of 500 W-class hydrogen fuel cell stacks and single cells. CGN New Energy Holdings Co., Ltd.: The Jilin Hydrogen Future Energy Factory Integrated Energy Project issued a procurement notice for an energy-saving assessment report. It is understood that the project had successively completed procurement for reports including water resources assessment, feasibility study, land-use pre-examination, hydrogen pipeline design, and power market analysis. Shaanxi Hydrogen Energy Industry Development Co., Ltd.: It released a public notice on the social stability risk assessment survey for Phase I of the 30 GW new energy green hydrogen production and hydrogen pipeline project (Inner Mongolia section). According to the notice, the project is located in Tuke Town, Uxin Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It is understood that the hydrogen pipeline route is 19.6 km long, with a design pressure of 6.3 MPa, and uses L290QH steel pipe material (seamless steel pipe). Total project investment is about 449.38 million yuan. Allocated by route length (with the Uxin Banner section accounting for 53.4%), the estimated investment within the area is about 239.97 million yuan. The project construction period is 2026–2028. PetroChina Shenzhen New Energy Research Institute Co., Ltd. : Its hydrogen energy R&D department plans to custom-process one set of MW-class brine hydrogen production electrolyser equipment, with hydrogen production capacity of no less than 200 Nm³/h. Tender scope: procurement of one set of brine hydrogen production electrolyser equipment. Shanghai Electric Group Company Limited: It officially signed the Phase I project of the Inner Mongolia Baofeng coal-based new materials wind and solar power hydrogen production project. According to the agreement, Shanghai Electric will provide eight 1,250 Nm³/h alkaline electrolysers, the world’s largest single-set 5,000 Nm³/h separation and purification system, and an industry-first outdoor three-dimensional layout solution. Suqian Green Energy Hydrogen Innovation Technology Co., Ltd.: During the 5th China International Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Industry Exhibition, Suqian Green Energy Hydrogen Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. and China Power Engineering Consulting Group Northwest Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd. held a strategic cooperation signing ceremony at the China National Convention Center in Beijing for a domestic MW-class AEM electrolyser testing project. Shenneng Northern Energy Holdings Co., Ltd.: It issued procurement for the preparation of a feasibility study report for the Etuoke Banner wind power hydrogen production integration green application project (Phase II), covering hydrogen production by water electrolysis and SAF synthesis. It is understood that the Etuoke Banner 505 MW wind and solar power hydrogen production integration green ammonia synthesis project (Phase I) was successfully selected in October 2025 as one of the first batch of hydrogen energy pilot projects in China’s energy sector, and is planned to be fully completed and put into operation in August 2026. Policy Review​ 1. Notice of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and three other departments on issuing the Implementation Plan for the High-Quality Development of Energy-Saving Equipment (2026–2028). The document stated that by 2028, mass-produced water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment should achieve DC power consumption of less than 4.2 kWh/Nm³ under rated operating conditions. 2. Notice of the General Office of the National Energy Administration on issuing the Guidelines for the Establishment of 2026 Energy Industry Standard Plans. The key areas for the 2026 energy industry standard plan include eight items. In the hydrogen energy field, key directions include fundamentals and general applications, hydrogen production and conversion, hydrogen storage and transportation, hydrogen refuelling, hydrogen power and power generation, and hydrogen equipment. 3. Ministry of Commerce Announcement No. 18 of 2026: announcement of the launch of a trade barrier investigation into US practices and measures that hinder trade in green products. Preliminary evidence and information obtained by the Ministry of Commerce showed that the US had implemented multiple practices and measures in trade-related areas that hinder trade in green products, including but not limited to restricting exports of green products to the US, slowing new energy deployment, and restricting technology cooperation related to green products. Enterprise Updates​​ Xieqing (Shanghai) New Energy Technology Co., Ltd.: Its hydrogen-powered drone H100 was officially put into use for material transport by China Post in Suibin County/Bayan County, Heilongjiang, entering the stage of regularised operations. Henan Junheng Industrial Group Biotechnology Co., Ltd. : Five reactors for its 1 million mt/year waste oil and fat processing sustainable aviation fuel project were successfully hoisted into place. Hubei Yingteli Electric Co., Ltd.: The two sets of thousand-cubic-metre-class IGBT hydrogen production power supplies it provided were successfully applied in South Korea’s first off-grid green hydrogen production project. Ordos Hanxia New Energy Co., Ltd. : At the hydrogen production plant of the Narisong PV hydrogen production industry demonstration project in Jungar Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the first truckload of 99.999% national-standard high-purity green hydrogen in 2026 was successfully dispatched after filling operations were completed. Hydshine Energy (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.: It announced the completion of its Pre-B round of financing. This round was exclusively strategically invested by the Shenzhen Energy Storage Fund. It is understood that the funds will be mainly used for global market expansion, next-generation product R&D, and industrialisation capabilities. Shanghai Hydrogen Energy Group Co., Ltd.: It was successfully recognised as a “Shanghai Specialised, Sophisticated, Distinctive and Innovative SME” in the first batch list of Shanghai specialised and sophisticated small and medium-sized enterprises. Tianneng Battery Group Co., Ltd. : During the Tianneng 2026 Spring New Product Launch held in Tianjin, Tianneng signed strategic cooperation agreements with multiple partners on hydrogen fuel cells and solid-state batteries. In hydrogen energy, Tianneng joined hands with Guangdong Vision Holding Group and Tianjin Weida Space Technology to deepen the deployment of hydrogen-powered shared bicycle scenarios and promote the rollout of this model in more cities. ​​Patent Applications​​ 1. Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences​​ (China) disclosed patent CN2025110028, developing a ceramic-based anion exchange membrane with a laboratory-tested lifespan of 80,000 hours. ​​2. Johnson Matthey​​ (UK) filed patent WO2025109876, disclosing an Fe-Ni-Mo ternary non-precious metal catalyst formulation with activity close to platinum-based materials. Technology Footprint/Technical Specifications​​ 1. Professor Yu Ying’s team at Central China Normal University developed a three-dimensional graded nanostructured catalytic electrode, a core part for seawater hydrogen production. 2. Dalian University of Technology designed an electron-pump catalyst with an asymmetric photoresponse structure to maintain asymmetry in electron distribution. 3.​​Research teams from the School of Electrical Engineering at Xi’an Jiaotong University and the State Key Laboratory of Electrical Materials and Electrical Insulation successfully developed a Ru/Ti3C2Ox@NF bifunctional electrocatalyst for seawater electrolysis. 4. Johnson Matthey and Syensqo achieved efficient recycling and reuse of platinum group metals and ionomers in PEM fuel cells and electrolysers, significantly reducing the carbon footprint. 5. Teams from Xi’an Jiaotong University and Peking University jointly developed a new-type osmium-based catalyst, significantly improving the efficiency and economics of AEM water electrolysis hydrogen production and supporting the scale-up of low-cost green hydrogen.

On April 1, Galan Lithium announced that Phase 1 construction of its Hombre Muerto West (HMW) Project has been successfully completed. The project has now fully transitioned to the commissioning and operational readiness phase, with all major process facilities, including the nanofiltration plant, installed and electrical and mechanical testing underway. Supported by substantial brine inventory, first lithium chloride production is expected in 2026. As of April 2026, the project has 10,000 tonnes LCE of brine inventory available for processing. Initial production capacity is 4,000 tonnes LCE per annum, with plans to expand to 5,200 tonnes LCE in the near term.

Melbourne-based RayGen has fully commissioned a 1 MW concentrated solar and long-duration thermal energy storage system in Petrolina, Brazil, in partnership with Axia Energia. The facility utilizes RayGen's 'PV Ultra' technology, which uses mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto modules while capturing heat in a water-based storage system. This design achieves a 70% round-trip efficiency. Axia is testing the technology for potential large-scale deployment to help power 'AI factories.' RayGen already operates a commercial facility in Australia and is currently advancing a 200 MW/1,200 MWh utility-scale project in South Australia.

[SMM Lead Morning Comment: Lead Ingot Destocking Outside China Exceeded 1,000 mt, LME Lead Rebounded After Testing Lower Levels] SMM News on April 1: Overnight, LME lead opened at $1,908.5/mt. During the Asian session, LME lead fluctuated at highs, trading mostly in the $1,905-1,915/mt range......

In late March 2026, the Philippine DOE mandated the expedited grid integration of 22 renewable energy projects (1,471 MW) by April 2026 to mitigate fossil fuel price volatility stemming from Middle East conflicts. This emergency deployment is heavily concentrated in solar PV, with 12 projects accounting for a dominant 1,284 MW of the total capacity.

Following unanimous approval in a joint review by six departments of the Yongchuan District Intelligent Connected Vehicle Policy Pilot Zone in Chongqing, Changan Automobile was officially granted an L4 Robotaxi testing license, becoming the automaker qualified to conduct fully compliant, full-scenario real-world testing of L4 autonomous driving.

On March 30, the Shenzhen Municipal Commerce Bureau issued the Three-Year Action Plan of Shenzhen to Promote the Improvement of Quality and Efficiency in Foreign Trade—Special Measures for “Export Shenzhen.” It stated that support would be provided for the import of advanced technological equipment and key parts needed for the development of the “20+8” industrial clusters; enterprises would be guided and assisted in actively applying for national import interest subsidy support for technologies and products included in the Catalog of Technologies and Products Encouraged for Import; and “one-on-one” tax reduction and exemption guidance services would be provided for enterprises engaged in related frontier technology products. Personalized regulatory measures would be formulated for the import of important intermediate products required for the development of industries such as integrated circuits and flat-panel display modules, so as to promote the efficient input of key materials and components into R&D and production. Efforts would also be made to explore and advance pilot imports of used key parts for automotive R&D testing.

[SMM Tin Morning Briefing: The Most-Traded SHFE Tin Contract Opened Slightly Higher in the Night Session and Then Fluctuated Lower, While Trading in the Spot Market Was Relatively Weak]

Recently, the People's Government of Longwan District, Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, released the environmental impact assessment public notice for the "Spent Power Battery Dismantling and Standardized Cascade Utilization Project" undertaken by a battery energy company in Wenzhou. According to the public notice, a battery energy company in Wenzhou will utilize its existing factory building to construct 2 cascade utilization dismantling production lines, primarily for battery dismantling and testing processes. It will also construct 1 CTP production line (module, pack assembly line) in Min'ke Base Yongxing Nanyuan, Wenzhou, primarily for battery assembly processes. This will add an annual capacity for cascade utilization of 5,000 tons of spent lithium-ion batteries.