As China's hydrogen energy sector matures, Liangjiang New Area, a national economic development new area in Southwest China, is seeking to boost development of its hydrogen industry.

Hydrogen is a clean energy that can help to achieve economic growth as well as carbon goals, and be used in a wide range of areas. Hydrogen vehicles, a major end-user of hydrogen power, will occupy a 10-percent share of the global car market by 2050, as predicted by the Hydrogen Council.

Recognized as an important vehicle manufacturing base in China, Liangjiang has gathered 10 car manufacturers and more than 200 key car parts suppliers, with annual productivity hitting 2.4 million units. As industry transformation and upgrading are underway, key players along the industrial chain are exploring the possibilities of hydrogen.

The auto industry is one of Liangjiang's pillar industries. [Photo provided to english.liangjiang.gov.cn]

Changan Auto, a leading player in China's auto industry, has been exploring hydrogen applications since 2009. In 2022, Changan established a tech entity and released a hydrogen battery system, marking its first milestone in the hydrogen field. On top of its SL03, China's first mass-produced hydrogen-powered car, released in 2022, the company plans to launch two to three hydrogen-powered passenger cars in the next five years.

Suppliers are also increasing their market share through technological breakthroughs and innovative products. Chongqing Kairui Power Technology provides key components with independent intellectual property such as hydrogen circulation pumps and pressure regulators to clients including FOTON, a leading commercial vehicle maker in China.

The new area is ramping up efforts to form a hydrogen industry cluster that includes everything, from the hydrogen power generation, storage, and transportation to its applications, including batteries, key components, and vehicles. By 2025, the new area plans to be home to a ten-billion-level hydrogen industry.

Chengdu-Chongqing joined hands to enhance the industry chain

China has more than 300 above-scale enterprises involved in the hydrogen industrial chain, most of which operate in the Yangtze River Delta, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Southwest China, which currently has a less-developed hydrogen industry by comparison, is now seeking to bolster the industry, as Chengdu and Chongqing have joined hands in a wide range of sectors under the national strategy of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle.

In November 2011, the Chengdu-Chongqing Hydrogen Corridor project was launched to promote the transformation and upgrading of the automobile industry. Based on the project outline, the two cities will build an infrastructure network of hydrogen and expand hydrogen applications in power generation, power storage, and industrial utilization by enabling model scenarios of commercial cars.

In terms of technology research and development, the Chongqing Institute and Sichuan Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University jointly set up a technology innovation center, with a focus on achieving carbon goals. The center has made a technological breakthrough in hydrogen storage.

The center sits at the Liangjiang Collaborative Innovation Zone. [Photo provided to english.liangjiang.gov.cn]

"Our equipment and products will be able to be used in many sectors, such as electricity, aviation, chemicals, urban transport, smelting, and agriculture, helping to reach peak carbon emissions and neutrality targets in all aspects of production and life," a senior official of the center said.

As for professional services providers, the first National Hydrogen Power Quality Inspection and Testing Center was inaugurated in Liangjiang New Area this January. It is expected to enhance the local hydrogen industrial chain and support the development of the hydrogen energy industry in the economic circle.

The center will test the fuel cells of vehicles, hydrogen quality, and motor batteries, covering the whole industrial chain of hydrogen energy. A large data platform for hydrogen energy production, storage, transportation, processing, and vehicle scheduling has also been developed.