HOHHOT, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- For decades, Inner Mongolia's windswept steppes fueled China's heavy industry with coal. Now this same land generates green hydrogen from wind and solar -- a sharp shift as China's hydrogen sector moves from pilot demos to commercial scale, with hubs spanning Baotou's mining belt to Shenzhen's tech coast for the global low-carbon transition.
This push has received significant policy backing since late 2025, when the National Energy Administration released the first batch of hydrogen pilots in the energy sector, covering nine regions and 41 projects. Among them, Baotou in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region is one of the key pilot sites.
Supported by abundant wind and solar resources and a strong industrial base, the city is building an integrated hydrogen value chain that spans green hydrogen production, storage, transport and diversified applications.
Nearly 20 leading industry players have established a presence in Baotou, helping to develop several benchmark projects in the hydrogen sector. Among them, a 200,000-kW renewable hydrogen demonstration project operated by a hydrogen subsidiary of China Huadian is producing 7,800 tonnes of green hydrogen annually. Construction of a 195-kilometer hydrogen pipeline linking Bayan Obo to downtown Baotou is also underway.
On the application side, hydrogen heavy-duty trucks are already operating in mining areas, while hydrogen buses have entered urban routes in Baotou.
In May, a hydrogen-powered two-wheeler developed by a local company was launched for public use in the city, with an initial batch of 1,000 units intended for public-use and convenience services. The project aims to expand the application of solid-state hydrogen storage in civilian transport.
Baotou's drive reflects a wider effort in Inner Mongolia to use hydrogen as a lever for energy transition. In 2025, the region's green hydrogen output reached 12,694 tonnes, a 3.6-fold year-on-year increase. To date, eight green hydrogen projects have been completed, giving the region an annual production capacity of 80,000 tonnes, among the highest in China.
Similar momentum is visible in other parts of the country. In north China's Shanxi Province, the city of Lyuliang is building a full hydrogen value chain ranging from production to end use. The city has achieved an annual hydrogen production capacity of 135,000 tonnes, built 14 refueling stations with a daily capacity of more than 30 tonnes, and deployed 1,315 fuel-cell vehicles.
Shenzhen, in south China, meanwhile, is a national pioneer in this sector and is home to nearly 200 companies active across the hydrogen and fuel-cell industry. Covering hydrogen production, storage and transport, refueling, fuel cells, system integration and end-use applications, the local industry has surpassed 50 billion yuan (about 7.4 billion U.S. dollars) in scale, with fuel-cell vehicles holding the largest market share among Chinese cities.
These regional developments reflect a broader national expansion. According to a report from the National Energy Administration, China's hydrogen output topped 39 million tonnes in 2025, marking continued industry expansion and keeping the country a global leader in both production and consumption.
Demonstrations across multiple scenarios are also speeding up. In transport, long-haul heavy-duty applications and low-altitude operations are being actively tested. In 2025, almost 8,000 fuel-cell vehicles were deployed, more than 10 hydrogen-fueled vessels entered service, and over 30 hydrogen-powered drones were released or test-flown.
China has also approved five city clusters for comprehensive hydrogen applications, spanning multiple regions -- a move aligned with the 15th Five-Year Plan for building a new energy system, which calls for coordinated development across the entire hydrogen value chain.
"China's green hydrogen capacity now accounts for more than half of the global total, and the hydrogen industry is moving from demonstration applications to scaled-up development," said Zhang Lin, a senior official at the China Electricity Council.
Zhang added that the next five years would be a critical period for China's hydrogen sector to shift toward market-driven growth, with the rise of a full value chain covering production, storage, transport and use, creating significant opportunities for the country's green transition and a market worth trillions of yuan. ■
