《中国氢能发展报告（2026）》解读｜锚定规模化发展新阶段 筑牢氢能产业行稳致远根基Interpretation of the China Hydrogen Development Report (2026): Anchoring a New Stage of Scaled Development and Building a Solid Foundation for Steady Growth

According to Green Fuel International Business Network, hydrogen energy is an important vehicle for cultivating future industries and expanding new quality productive forces, and a key support for building an energy powerhouse and promoting the green and low-carbon transition. Recently, the National Energy Administration released the "China Hydrogen Energy Development Report (2026)," systematically reviewing the full-chain development achievements of China's hydrogen energy industry in 2025 and assessing the development situation and key tasks for the "15th Five-Year Plan" period.

The report makes clear that hydrogen energy, as a clean and efficient secondary energy carrier and an important track in future industries, is both a core path for the diversified non-electric use of new energy and an important lever for promoting the green transition of end-use sectors that are difficult to decarbonize, such as industry and shipping. Guided by the "dual carbon" goals and the new energy security strategy, hydrogen energy is gradually connecting the multi-energy conversion links of electricity, heat, gas and chemicals, providing a feasible path for new energy-rich regions to break through consumption bottlenecks and playing a hub role in the integrated development of multiple energy categories.

Data in the report show that in 2025 China's hydrogen production and sales scale led the world, with annual output exceeding 39 million tonnes. Among this, renewable energy hydrogen production achieved rapid growth, with built and operating capacity doubling from the previous year to exceed 250,000 tonnes per year, accounting for more than half of the global total capacity; capacity under construction exceeded 900,000 tonnes per year, indicating ample growth momentum ahead. The integrated development model of wind-solar-hydrogen-ammonia-methanol gradually matured, with built capacity for green ammonia and green methanol reaching 700,000 tonnes per year and 380,000 tonnes per year respectively. In terms of regional layout, Northeast, North China and Northwest China formed industrial clusters based on resource advantages, accounting for more than 98% of built and operating capacity, with benchmark projects successively implemented in Jilin, Inner Mongolia and other places.

The report shows that in 2025 the application boundaries of hydrogen energy continued to broaden, with a pattern of coordinated breakthroughs across the three major fields of industry, transportation and power initially taking shape. The industrial field remains the main battlefield for green hydrogen substitution, with traditional hydrogen use scenarios such as synthetic ammonia, methanol and refining accounting for more than 90% of total consumption; demonstration projects such as green hydrogen coupling with coal chemicals and hydrogen metallurgy were implemented, extending green hydrogen from fuel substitution to raw material substitution. Large-scale operation in the transportation sector advanced steadily, with cumulative deployment of more than 30,000 fuel cell vehicles and continued growth in trunk logistics and port scenarios; new scenarios such as shipping, the low-altitude economy and rail transit accelerated their layout. Technology verification in the power sector sped up, with demonstrations such as fuel cell distributed power generation and pure hydrogen gas turbines advancing rapidly.

The report makes clear that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period the hydrogen energy industry will move from policy-driven to market-driven development, with hydrogen energy connecting the multi-energy conversion links of electricity, heat, gas and chemicals and becoming an important hub, pointing the way for the large-scale, high-quality development of the hydrogen energy industry.