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On March 16, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the **National Development and Reform Commission recently jointly issued the “Notice on Carrying Out Pilot Projects for the Comprehensive Application of Hydrogen Energy”. The Notice states that by 2030, hydrogen energy in urban agglomerations will be used on a large scale in various fields, with the average price of hydrogen for end-use applications dropping below 25 yuan per kilogram; efforts will be made to reduce this price to around 15 yuan per kilogram in some areas with competitive advantages ； The nationwide fleet of fuel cell vehicles is set to double by 2025, with the goal of reaching 100,000 units. Promote innovative breakthroughs in hydrogen energy application technologies, processes, and equipment, so as to make hydrogen energy a new driver of economic growth. Building a “1+N+X” application ecosystem: A official from the Department of Energy Conservation and Comprehensive Utilization under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology explained that China’s hydrogen energy industry has made a breakthrough from “0” to “1”, entering a critical phase characterized by crossing the technological and economic tipping point and achieving rapid scale-up development. At the same time, the application of hydrogen energy faces challenges such as a limited range of applicable scenarios, a shortage of green hydrogen, high costs, and difficulties in storage, transportation, and refueling. An appropriate business model has not yet been established, and market demand still needs to be stimulated. It is necessary to make sustained efforts at various levels and provide targeted support, using practical applications to identify and resolve problems as they arise. The Notice specifies that urban agglomerations should give priority to selecting applicable application scenarios such as fuel cell vehicles, green ammonia and alcohols, hydrogen-based chemical raw material substitutes, hydrogen metallurgy, and hydrogen-blended combustion for pilot projects, actively explore innovative applications of hydrogen energy, and establish a comprehensive hydrogen energy application ecosystem consisting of \"1 general application scenario for fuel cell vehicles + N application scenarios in industrial fields + X innovative application scenarios.\" Among them, there is one general scenario for fuel cell vehicles, which emphasizes the pilot promotion of vehicle types such as medium- and heavy-duty trucks for medium- to long-distance transportation, as well as cold chain logistics vehicles. These scenarios are cost-effective in areas rich in hydrogen resources; they can develop in synergy with pure electric vehicles, helping to further enhance the resilience and safety of China’s new energy vehicle industry chain. There are N large-scale application scenarios across various industrial sectors, mainly including green ammonia and methanol, substitution of hydrogen-based chemical raw materials, hydrogen metallurgy, and hydrogen-blended combustion. These applications involve large-scale use of hydrogen, and economies of scale can help to drive down the cost of hydrogen rapidly. Projects in many regions have already been put into operation, giving them a competitive advantage in achieving large-scale utilization of hydrogen energy first. X innovative application scenarios for hydrogen energy, including ships, aviation, rail transit, two-wheeled vehicles, etc. These applications are currently in the stage of limited-scale demonstration and testing, but they feature strong technological innovation and considerable potential for development, representing important directions for the future use of hydrogen energy. Urban agglomerations to serve as the main focus for pilot projects. The Notice requires that pilot projects for the comprehensive use of hydrogen energy be initiated on a basis of urban agglomerations; these agglomerations should take advantage of their own resource conditions, adopt approaches suitable to local circumstances, and make use of hydrogen where it is appropriate, in order to avoid excessive development in various applications and redundant construction at a low level. The central government will adopt a “reward instead of subsidy” approach to provide incentive funds to city clusters. The reward criteria are set based on the application of terminal products in various scenarios or the scale of hydrogen use, with a pilot period of 4 years for each city cluster; the maximum reward amount during this period for a single city cluster does not exceed 1.6 billion yuan. In addition, the Notice proposes to establish and improve safety management systems in order to advance pilot projects on the basis of ensuring safety. Pilot cities are encouraged to introduce supportive policies and increase funding for the research and development of key technical equipment in the areas of hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and utilization. Improve the policy and institutional environment, and encourage the introduction of favorable policies such as facilitating the movement of fuel cell vehicles between cities. The official mentioned that by the end of 2025, China had seen nearly 40,000 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles sold in total, with 574 hydrogen refueling stations in operation, offering a hydrogen refueling capacity of over 360 tons per day – the highest figure in the world.