Recently, the official website of the Department of Economy and Information Technology of Hubei Province released the Action Plan for Accelerating the Sustainable Development of Large-Scale Commercial Application of the Hydrogen Energy Industry in Hubei Province (2026–2030) (Draft for Comments), soliciting public comments from September 1 to September 7.
Development Goals
The plan proposes that by 2030,the scale of the province's hydrogen energy industry will exceed 100 billion yuan,with the promotion and application of hydrogen-powered vehicles reaching 7,000 units, annual hydrogen production from renewable energy reaching 30,000 mt, full coverage of the hydrogen refueling network, and a closed loop formed for commercial models, building a self-reliant, coordinated, and cost-efficient hydrogen energy industry innovation ecosystem.
Collaborative Technological Breakthroughs in Five Major Fields
The plan deploys technological breakthroughs across five major fields: hydrogen production, storage and transportation, refueling, application, and common technologies. In the field of hydrogen production, the focus is on breakthroughs in key technologies such as high-efficiency, low-cost water electrolysis for hydrogen production, and accelerating the development of core equipment such as economical ALK electrolyzers, high-pressure PEM hydrogen production systems, and solid oxide electrolysis cells. In the field of storage and transportation, the plan aims to enhance the technological advantages of cavern hydrogen storage, salt cavern hydrogen storage, and liquid organic hydrogen carrier technology, and advance the development of equipment such as Type IV carbon fiber hydrogen storage tanks and long-tube trailers. In the field of refueling, breakthroughs will be made in technologies such as 70 MPa high-pressure pre-cooling and high-flow rapid hydrogen refueling. In the field of application, the plan will strengthen hydrogen-powered heavy trucks and cold-chain transport vehicles, and promote the deployment of hydrogen internal combustion engine cargo ships and megawatt-class marine fuel cell systems. In the field of common technologies, efforts will focus on the domestic substitution of "bottleneck" components such as low-loading precious metal membrane electrodes and long-life corrosion-resistant bipolar plates.
Expanding Commercial Demonstration Models in Four Major Scenarios
In the vehicle sector, hydrogen demonstration road sections will be created on expressways such as "Hanyi," "Hanshi," "Wuhuang," and "Huanghuang," cross-provincial hydrogen logistics corridors such as "Hubei-Chongqing-Sichuan" and "Hubei-Hunan-Guangdong" will be opened up, and hydrogen-powered heavy trucks, forklifts, buses, sanitation vehicles, and shared two-wheelers will be promoted. In the industrial energy sector, the integrated development of hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol in chemical parks will be promoted, green hydrogen co-firing and hydrogen-based shaft furnace low-carbon metallurgy will be encouraged, the application of high-purity hydrogen in semiconductors and new-type displays will be expanded, and demonstrations of natural gas-hydrogen blending and gas turbine hydrogen blending will be advanced. In the ship and aviation sector, the "Hydrogenizing the Yangtze River" initiative will be implemented, inland hydrogen-powered vessels will be promoted, and hydrogen-powered drone application demonstrations will be carried out. In terms of the comprehensive ecosystem, the unified and mutually recognized standards across the entire chain of "production, storage, transportation, refueling, and utilization" will be promoted, and the regional development model of "green electricity hydrogen production – vehicle and vessel consumption – industrial backup – surplus energy storage" will be popularized.
Cost Reduction and Efficiency Improvement Across the Entire Chain
The plan promotes cost reduction from four dimensions: technology transfer, hydrogen source supply, equipment manufacturing, and refueling networks. It supports the construction of hydrogen energy empirical testing platforms and pilot-scale test platforms; promotes large-scale green hydrogen production demonstrations in regions rich in hydropower, wind and solar power resources, and encourages central and state-owned enterprises to establish regional hydrogen source supply bases; advances differentiated development among cities and promotes process control systems such as intelligent manufacturing and digital twins; and lays out hydrogen refueling stations according to the principle of "moderately ahead of demand," exploring new models such as integrated on-site hydrogen production and refueling and mobile hydrogen refueling.By 2030, the average end-user hydrogen price in major cities is expected to drop to around 25 yuan/kg.
Comprehensive Policy Support
The plan proposes actively seeking national policy funds such as the hydrogen energy comprehensive application pilot program, the "implement major national strategies and build up security capacity in key areas" program, and the "program of large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-ins" program, coordinating provincial special funds for high-quality manufacturing development and special funds for science and technology, and continuing to implement the free highway toll policy for hydrogen-powered vehicles. Project approval processes will be optimized, hydrogen refueling stations will be managed with reference to the natural gas refueling station model, renewable energy hydrogen production projects will be exempted from hazardous chemical safety production permits in accordance with regulations, and parallel approval for hydrogen-related projects will be implemented. The comprehensive service system will be improved, a hydrogen energy industry alliance will be established, the provincial hydrogen energy industry fund will be strengthened, a tiered cultivation database for hydrogen energy enterprises will be built, and pilot trading of green fuel rights and interests will be explored. Hydrogen energy safety management will be strengthened, a tiered emergency response plan system will be improved, and special emergency drills will be conducted on a regular basis.
