Annual production capacity exceeds 1 million tons! **The Energy Bureau releases updates on the development of renewable energy-based hydrogen production in the first quarter

Thread Content

On April 27, the **Energy Bureau held a press conference to present information on the national energy situation and development achievements in the first quarter of 2026, the status of renewable energy sources being connected to the power grid, the progress in using renewable energy for hydrogen production, and the development of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The bureau also answered journalists’ questions regarding issues of public concern. According to statistics from the National Hydrogen Energy Information Platform, as of the end of March 2026, the total capacity for producing hydrogen from renewable energy sources across the country was over 1 million tons per year. Of this amount, more than 250,000 tons per year were already in operation, which represents a more than doubling of the figure at the end of 2024; meanwhile, over 900,000 tons per year were under construction. Electrolytic water splitting to produce hydrogen is the main technical approach. By region, the capacity of renewable energy-based water electrolysis hydrogen production projects in the Northeast region accounts for 45.7% of the total nationwide, 30% in the North China region, 21.8% in the Northwest region, and about 2.5% in other regions. By 2025, the Northeast and North China regions will be the main areas of growth, with additional production capacities of over 100,000 tons per year and 20,000 tons per year respectively. At the provincial level, driven by multiple factors such as the demand for new energy consumption and strong policy support, the development of renewable energy-based water electrolysis for hydrogen production has been rapid in Jilin and Inner Mongolia, with cumulative production capacities exceeding 90,000 tons per year and 80,000 tons per year, respectively. In terms of scale, the projects that have been completed and put into operation are mainly small-scale pilot projects, with an average production capacity of around 4,900 tons per year; more than half of these projects have an annual production capacity of 1,000 tons or less ； A total of 8 projects with a production capacity of over 10,000 tons have been completed and put into operation in regions such as Jilin, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang ； The scale of individual projects under construction is increasing rapidly, with an average production capacity of around 13,000 tons per year; projects with a production capacity of over 10,000 tons account for 38% of such projects ； Multiple projects with a capacity of 50,000 tons or more have begun construction in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Jilin, accelerating the transition of demonstration technologies to large-scale application. In terms of models, collaborative exploration is carried out between the “wind, solar, and hydrogen integrated application scenarios” model and the “green hydrogen, ammonia, and alcohol integration” model. Among them, the wind-solar-hydrogen integrated application scenarios are an important way to promote carbon reduction in key industry sectors. At present, the integration of hydrogen energy with oil refining and petrochemical processes, as well as with coal chemical industries to reduce carbon emissions, has undergone technical validation. Explorations are being carried out in areas such as its use in conjunction with mining, port transportation, and heating in industrial parks. Pilots are also being conducted to utilize it in the development of large-scale wind and solar power facilities as a source of flexible energy. The integration of green hydrogen, ammonia, and alcohols represents an important model for the large-scale development of hydrogen energy; it facilitates the shift of hydrogen-based products such as ammonia and alcohols from being used as traditional chemical raw materials to serving as green fuels, while also enabling more efficient allocation of energy resources. Next, the **Energy Administration will earnestly implement the spirit of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, work in conjunction with the Development and Reform Commission to scientifically formulate the development goals and tasks for the hydrogen energy industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, improve the policy management framework for hydrogen energy, continue to promote innovation in technology and industry, drive the high-quality development of hydrogen energy, and provide strong support for the construction of a new energy system as well as the development of future industries.