The big environmental stories in the Chinese media (2 - 8 April)
Beijing will install more than 70 hydrogen fuel stations and increase the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles on its roads to 10,000 by 2025, according to a consultation draft plan to develop the hydrogen industry over the next four years.
The plan, released on Wednesday by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, aims to expand the hydrogen industry to at least 100 billion yuan (US$15 billion) in the broader Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
The gas is expected to play a major role in countries’ decarbonisation plans, particularly in “hard to abate” sectors such as heavy industry and transport. The Beijing plan has a focus on public and freight transport, particularly to and from major airports. Hydrogen will be on full display at the 2022 Winter Olympics, which will be serviced by 200 or so hydrogen-powered vehicles for athletes and fans, according to the plan.
Though considered a clean fuel, its mode of production is key. When made using renewable energy sources it is often called “green hydrogen”. According to a Caixin report, Beijing will utilise both green and fossil-fuel hydrogen by constructing a wind/solar-to-hydrogen plant and a coke gas-to-hydrogen plant.
A recent article stated that green hydrogen currently accounts for just 4% of China’s total hydrogen production. The China Hydrogen Alliance projects that, by 2050, 70% of hydrogen will be produced using renewable energy, encouraged in large part by the ever falling costs of renewables.
It’s not only Beijing that is stepping up the hydrogen pace. Jiaxing city in Zhejiang province and Changshu in Jiangsu also recently released draft five year plans for developing the sector, targeting the installation of 30 and 16 hydrogen fuel stations respectively.
Hydrogen has been called a “silver bullet” for reaching net zero in heavy CO2 sectors. Read more about the race to roll out this critical technology on China Dialogue here.
(Sources: China Dialogue)
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