Clean hydrogen gets green light

Editor's note: China Daily is publishing a series illustrating the country's efforts to achieve its carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals.

The Inner Mongolia and Ningxia Hui autonomous regions have made substantial progress in developing green hydrogen made from renewable energy, capitalizing on their abundant renewable energy resources to meet the needs of the local and nearby markets.

Government bodies in both regions have urged for the implementation of supportive policies, standardized technical guidelines and safety regulations at the national level to promote further growth of the carbon dioxide-free green fuel.

Inner Mongolia, with its vast wind and solar resources, has positioned itself as a leader in green hydrogen production. It can annually produce 60,000 metric tons of green hydrogen, according to the region's energy administration.

The region has over half of the nation's wind energy resources and more than a fifth of its solar energy resources, said Zhao Junpeng, deputy head of the science and equipment department at Inner Mongolia's energy administration.

This allows for low-cost hydrogen production, which is crucial for meeting the high demand in nearby markets like the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Ningxia, he said.

Since 2022, the government in Inner Mongolia has introduced 14 policies covering various aspects of the hydrogen industry, from production and storage to transportation. These policies include reducing red tape for green hydrogen projects operating outside chemical parks, he added.

Inner Mongolia has been proactively integrating the development of green hydrogen with various industries, including transportation, metal smelting and coal chemicals, said Zhao. Over 400 hydrogen-fueled vehicles have been put into operation in the region, and a hydrogen-powered train has successfully completed a trial run.

Zhao noted a series of measures to further boost the development of green hydrogen in Inner Mongolia.

As the region advances the low-carbon transformation of coal-fired power generation, the region will implement the co-firing of more than 10 percent of green hydrogen with coal in the sector, he said.

Focusing on developing a complete green hydrogen industry chain from production to storage and transportation, the region aims to create a leading green hydrogen industry zone.