NEA's Q1 press conference hints at introduction of follow-up policies for hydrogen energy industry

On the morning of April 28, at the NEA's Q1 press conference, Xu Jilin, Deputy Director of the Department of Energy Conservation, Science, Technology and Equipment at the NEA, disclosed the work plan for the development of the hydrogen energy industry.

"2025 marks the final year of the 14th Five-Year Plan and the planning year for the 15th Five-Year Plan. The NEA will continue to promote the sustained implementation of policies for the hydrogen energy industry, actively implement the integration of hydrogen energy into energy management, accelerate the development and application demonstration of major technological equipment in the hydrogen energy sector, foster the development of the entire industry chain covering 'production, storage, transportation, and utilization,' further improve the hydrogen energy industry ecosystem, optimize the industrial development environment, and lay a solid foundation for enhancing the quality and speed of the hydrogen energy industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan period," he said.

This statement contains a wealth of information.

Firstly, it reveals that the NEA's positioning for the development of the hydrogen energy industry during the 15th Five-Year Plan is to "enhance quality and accelerate development."

For the development of the hydrogen energy industry this year, there are five key areas of work, as follows:

① Continuously promoting the sustained implementation of policies for the hydrogen energy industry.

② Actively implementing the integration of hydrogen energy into energy management.

③ Accelerating the development and application demonstration of major technological equipment in the hydrogen energy sector.

④ Fostering the development of the entire industry chain covering 'production, storage, transportation, and utilization.'

⑤ Further improving the hydrogen energy industry ecosystem and optimizing the industrial development environment.

The top priority is the follow-up policies.

As is widely known, China's current national-level support policies for the hydrogen energy industry are mainly focused on the fuel cell vehicle sector. Five government departments' policies for demonstration and promotion of fuel cell vehicle city clusters are set to expire in August and at the end of this year, respectively, and the subsequent follow-up policies remain unclear. Additionally, there are currently no support policies in place for the upstream hydrogen production sector.

From the information disclosed at the Q1 press conference, it is evident that the NEA's top priority for the development of the hydrogen energy industry is to continuously promote the sustained implementation of policies.

China Orange Group Research Institute has also learned from the hydrogen energy industry that the NEA is preparing support policies for the development of the hydrogen energy industry, covering the entire industry chain of 'production, storage, transportation, refueling, and utilization,' which are expected to be introduced as early as May.

The NEA attaches great importance to the development of the hydrogen energy industry and has organized relevant industry institutions and experts to compile the "China Hydrogen Energy Development Report (2025)," which was released at the Q1 press conference.

Relevant leaders from the NEA introduced that China attaches great importance to the development of the hydrogen energy industry. By strengthening top-level design, formulating industrial policies, and actively promoting technological innovation in hydrogen energy, various regions are also systematically exploring models for the development and project implementation of the hydrogen energy industry. Currently, China's hydrogen energy industry is gradually transitioning from pilot exploration to a new stage of orderly breakthroughs.

At the press conference held by the State Council Information Office on the same day, Zhao Chenxin, Deputy Director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), stated that China will introduce and implement a series of measures to stabilize employment, stabilize the economy, and promote high-quality development.

"We will strive to issue the national project list for the construction of 'two major national strategies and the development of security capabilities in key areas' and central budgetary investments for the entire year by the end of June. Meanwhile, we will establish new-type policy-based financial instruments to address the issue of insufficient capital for project construction," he said.

Earlier, at the meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on April 25, it was proposed to expand the scope and enhance the quality of the implementation of the "program of large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-ins" and intensify the implementation of the "two major national strategies and the development of security capabilities in key areas".

Please note that this news is sourced from https://www.ofweek.com/hydrogen/2025-04/ART-180824-8420-30662127.html and translated by SMM.