Chengdu-Chongqing Hydrogen Corridor Included into a National FCV City Cluster丨Proposal

Hydrogen energy is an important part of the future national energy system. How to propel the rapid development of the hydrogen energy industry? 

At the 2024 National Two Sessions, members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) from Sichuan and Chongqing jointly proposed supporting the inclusion of the Chengdu-Chongqing Hydrogen Corridor area into a national city cluster for demonstration application of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs).

Hydrogen Refueling Machine in Chongqing's Jiulongpo District. (Photo/Chen Jun)

With great importance attached to the significant role of hydrogen energy in achieving the country's dual carbon goals, China has made an overall deployment in the following aspects: boosting the whole-chain development of hydrogen energy production, storage, transportation, and application, prompting the construction of hydrogen refueling stations, advancing research to achieve breakthroughs in cutting-edge low-carbon technologies such as renewable energy hydrogen production, and reinforcing the R&D demonstration and large-scale application of key technologies for hydrogen energy production, storage and application.

Taking the joint building of the Chengdu-Chongqing Hydrogen Corridor as a major measure to further spur the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, Sichuan and Chongqing have actively explored, made breakthroughs and consequently enhanced the development resilience of the industrial and supply chains in the economic circle.

Through research, the members of the CPPCC National Committee found that with a large number of enterprises in finished hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (HFCVs), hydrogen fuel cell systems, core parts, as well as hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and refueling, Sichuan and Chongqing boast a complete industrial chain of HFCVs, and thus there are broad prospects for the large-scale promotion of such vehicles. Judging from the actual need to promote the high-quality development of the Chengdu-Chongqing Hydrogen Corridor, there are still challenges: HFCVs have not yet been applied on a large scale, and hydrogen sources are far away from application scenarios.

Banshan Circular Road CNG and Hydrogen Refueling Station in Chongqing's Jiulongpo District. (Photo/Chen Jun)

Therefore, the members of the CPPCC National Committee suggested that efforts should be made to establish a national city cluster for demonstration application of FCVs, into which the Chengdu-Chongqing Hydrogen Corridor area should be included, the two places should be supported to catalyze the construction of hydrogen energy infrastructure along intercity trunk lines and realize large-scale operation of HFCVs. Financial policy support should be provided for vehicle promotion and application, R&D, and manufacturing of complete vehicles, systems, stacks, key parts, and hydrogen supply.

Secondly, the development of the HFCV industry should be accelerated. Efforts should be made to support major technological innovation and industrialization projects of hydrogen energy, establish a national manufacturing innovation center for hydrogen fuel cells, discuss and launch a special fund for the development of the hydrogen corridor, strengthen standard formulation and policy research, continuously achieve breakthroughs in key technologies, and enhance industrial innovation capabilities.

At the same time, a national internet trading platform for hydrogen energy should be developed. Efforts should be made to encourage leading hydrogen energy enterprises and professional carbon trading platform institutions to jointly build a national internet trading platform of hydrogen energy, explore hydrogen trading, green hydrogen trading, participation of hydrogen energy storage in the electricity market and the market-oriented trading mechanism for hydrogen energy carbon emission reduction, establish institutional systems and operation mechanisms such as green hydrogen certification, carbon emission reduction accounting and carbon transaction settlement, and further drive the efficient utilization of hydrogen energy resources and the market-oriented development of hydrogen energy industry.

The members of the CPPCC National Committee also advised that 11 provincial along the Yangtze River Economic Belt should work together to build a hydrogen corridor, speed up the construction of hydrogen energy trunk expressways, foster a hydrogen energy supply system, cultivate hydrogen energy industrial clusters, and build a pilot demonstration zone for hydrogen energy application with abundant application scenarios, sound infrastructure, and agglomerated industrial development, so as to further push ahead with the high-quality development of the economic belt.