[SMM Hydrogen Policy Update] Huanggang City, Hubei Province: Releases Territorial Space Master Plan (2021–2035), Encourages and Supports Construction of Projects Including Hydrogen ESS

On October 13, 2025, the Huanggang Municipal People's Government in Hubei Province released the "Huanggang Territorial Space Master Plan (2021–2035)" (hereinafter referred to as the "Plan"), which was approved by the provincial government on September 28, 2025. Centered on green and low-carbon transition, the Plan explicitly proposes key measures such as phasing out outdated capacity, developing the new energy industry, and improving new energy infrastructure. It delineates spatial layouts and implementation pathways for the development of local green industries, including hydrogen energy and PV, while supporting the overall goal of "building Huanggang into an important functional area for coordinated development within the Wuhan Metropolitan Circle and a national pioneer zone for high-quality development in old revolutionary base areas."

I. Multi-Pronged Development in the New Energy Industry to Build a Green Energy System

The Plan identifies optimizing the energy structure as one of its core tasks, aiming to increase the share of non-fossil energy through a dual approach of "phasing out outdated capacity and developing alternatives," thereby providing clear development space for industries such as PV and hydrogen energy.

1. Parallel Efforts in Phasing Out Outdated Capacity and Enhancing Efficiency to Reduce Reliance on Traditional Energy: The Plan specifies the gradual phase-out of outdated coal capacity while improving the efficiency of existing coal-based energy, reducing dependence on traditional high-carbon energy through both "reduction" and "quality improvement," thereby freeing up market space for new energy development.
2. Multi-Scenario Layout of the PV Industry to Expand Application Scale: It encourages and supports the construction of diverse projects, including centralized wind and solar power stations, distributed PV power generation, building-integrated PV, and agro-photovoltaic complementarity. This approach breaks the limitations of single power station models, promotes deep integration of PV with sectors such as construction and agriculture, maximizes the use of territorial space resources, and increases the total utilization of solar energy.
3. Key Support for Hydrogen ESS Projects to Strengthen the Front-End of the Hydrogen Industry Chain: Hydrogen ESS is included as a key encouraged construction project. Leveraging local wind and solar energy resources, the Plan provides application scenarios for hydrogen ESS technology, which not only addresses the intermittency of renewable energy but also lays the foundation for the subsequent development of hydrogen production, storage, and transportation, thereby promoting the industrialisation of hydrogen energy in the energy storage sector.

II. Strengthened Spatial Support for New Energy Infrastructure to Facilitate Industry Implementation

The Plan focuses on the "last mile" of the new energy industry, providing clear guidance for infrastructure construction through enhanced spatial supply and detailed planning to ensure the efficient operation of green industries.

1. Simultaneous Advancement of Multi-Dimensional Energy Supplement Facilities to Cover Transportation Energy Demand: With increased spatial support, the Plan explicitly requires strengthening the construction of NEV infrastructure, including charging piles, battery swapping stations, and hydrogen refueling stations, to achieve full coverage of "electric-hydrogen" energy supplement methods. This meets the charging needs of pure EVs while removing infrastructure barriers for the promotion of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, thereby fostering the coordinated development of the new energy transportation industry.
2. Parking Facility Support and Urban Service Enhancement: It proposes to increase the supply of land for parking facilities and requires detailed arrangements to be specified in lower-level plans, integrating parking facilities with new energy replenishment infrastructure to enhance urban transportation convenience and provide supporting infrastructure for the widespread adoption of NEVs.

III. Planning Positioning and Implementation Safeguards: Anchoring Regional Development Goals

As the "overall framework" for the development and protection of territorial space in Huanggang City, the Plan clarifies strategic positioning and strengthens implementation mechanisms to ensure the effective execution of green and low-carbon initiatives while serving the broader context of regional coordinated development.

1. Aligning with National and Provincial Arrangements: Defining Strategic Planning Directions: Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the Plan implements the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important speech during his field trip to Hubei, carries out national strategies such as "high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt" and "the rise of central China," and deeply integrates green and low-carbon development with regional functional positioning to ensure alignment with national and provincial requirements.
2. Strengthening Implementation and Transmission to Ensure Plan Execution: The Plan is defined as the fundamental basis for formulating subordinate territorial space plans, detailed plans, specialized plans, and implementing territorial space use control. County (city, district) governments and relevant departments are required to organize implementation based on local conditions. Through measures such as "strengthening Party leadership," "improving supporting policy mechanisms," and "enhancing implementation safeguards," a closed loop of "overall planning—sub-plans—strong execution" is formed to ensure the orderly advancement of tasks such as new energy development and green infrastructure construction.
3. Serving Regional Coordination and Supporting Overall Development: By integrating green and low-carbon development with regional strategies such as "integrated development of Wuhan, Ezhou, Huanggang, and Huangshi" and "coordinated development of the Dabie Mountain area," the Plan aims to enhance Huanggang’s collaborative capacity within the Wuhan metropolitan area through the establishment of a green energy system and infrastructure improvements, while also providing a model for green transformation to support high-quality development in old revolutionary base areas nationwide.

The release and implementation of the Plan reflect Huanggang City’s firm commitment to promoting green and low-carbon transformation through optimized territorial spatial layout. It not only provides a clear development pathway for local green industries such as hydrogen energy and PV but also, through infrastructure improvements and regional coordination, contributes to building a safe, efficient, and low-carbon framework for territorial space development and protection, thereby supporting the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.