Shandong province is stepping up efforts to establish a hydrogen industry ecosystem and announced that Jinan, capital of the province, will join hands with four cities – Qingdao, Weifang, Zibo and Jining – to build a demonstration city cluster for hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles.

The announcement was made at the 2020 Hydrogen Industry Development Innovation Summit (HIDIS) held in Jinan on Oct 15.

The event focused on successful experiences and innovative efforts within the hydrogen industry, specifically in terms of policies, technologies and business models.

Hydrogen, as a renewable clean energy, is fundamental to optimizing the energy structure, improving energy security and cutting emissions, according to Yi Baolian, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering. 

Shandong is rich in hydrogen and renewable energy and serves as a key logistics hub and manufacturing base for commercial vehicles.

The province is now striving to foster the hydrogen industry in order to accelerate the growth shift from old to new ones and boost high-quality development. The province has rolled out a 10-year plan for the mid- and long-term development of the hydrogen industry.

Shandong now has over 100 companies related to the hydrogen industrial chain. It has put 269 hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles into service and built nine hydrogen refueling stations.

Cities including Jinan, Weifang, Jining and Liaocheng have launched hydrogen fuel cell buses with a total range exceeding 2.4 million kilometers.

Jinan has 40 operational hydrogen fuel-cell city buses, with 20 more to be added in the next month. The city’s yearly output of high purity hydrogen gas has reached 104,300 tons.

The city plans to spend 2.82 billion yuan ($421.32 million) within four years to produce 1,500 hydrogen energy vehicles and build 18 hydrogen refueling stations with 34,300-ton hydrogen production capacity.