[SMM Hydrogen Industry Weekly Review] 20260109

I. Policy Review: Hydrogen Policy Developments

(A) Domestic Policies

General Office of the People's Government of Henan Province:Issued the "Several Policy Measures to Promote a Good Start in Economic Development in the First Quarter of 2026". The document proposes that from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2027, hydrogen-powered trucks passing through toll roads within the administrative region of Henan Province will continue to be exempt from tolls. Simultaneously, to strengthen the energy foundation for the development of the new energy industry, the document encourages enterprises to plan and construct renewable energy power generation projects, such as PV power generation, wind power generation, and waste heat and pressure power generation, according to the generation-grid-load-storage integrated model, by enhancing the self-sufficiency rate of green electricity to reduce production energy costs.

Hebei Provincial Development and Reform Commission (NDRC):Issued the "Notice on Printing and Distributing the List of Key Provincial Construction Projects in Hebei Province for 2026". The document indicates that the province announced the list of key construction projects for 2026, which explicitly includes 15 key hydrogen industry projects. These cover the entire industry chain's key links, including hydrogen production, hydrogen storage, equipment manufacturing, and end-use applications, with 3 new projects to commence and 12 ongoing projects. New projects to commence (3 items): Hebei Feitian Future 300,000 mt/year Sustainable Energy Hydrogen Refueling Integrated Project; Hebei Hechen Hydrogen Cylinder Production Project (Feixiang District); North China Petrochemical 100,000 mt/year Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Project (Renqiu City). Ongoing projects (12 items): CSSC Wind Power Hydrogen Production, Storage, Application and ESS Equipment R&D and Manufacturing Base Project (Xingtai Economic Development Zone); CSSC Peric Hydrogen Equipment Industrial Park Phase I Construction Project (Handan Economic Development Zone); Tangshan Yue'an Hydrogen-Electric New Energy Qian'an Hydrogen-Electric Integrated Energy Station (Qian'an City); Zhongneng Yida (Hebei) New Energy New 400,000 mt/year Sustainable Aviation Fuel Hydrogenation Project (Shenze County); Handan Fengda Cixian Coal Mining Subsidence Area Wind-Solar-ESS-Hydrogen Integrated Base Project Phase I (200MW Guaranteed Wind Power) (Cixian County); Hebei Dexin Hydrogen Technology Coke Oven Gas Hydrogen Production Comprehensive Utilization Project (She County); Energy China Green Hydrogen China Energy Construction Shijiazhuang Luquan District PV Hydrogen Production and Hydrogen Supporting Industry Project (Luquan District); Guiyan New Energy Hydrogen Industry Base Project (Qinhuangdao Haigang District); Hebei Zhongrui Automotive Hydrogen Fuel Cell and New Energy Special Vehicle Project (Wei County); Sunrise Power Hydrogen Equipment Industrial Park (Wu'an Enclave) Phase I Project (Hanshan District); Hebei Fengmei Coking Coke Oven Gas Hydrogen Production Co-production SNG Construction Project (Fengfeng Mining Area); Hebei Xuyang Energy Co., Ltd. 5 mt/day Liquid Hydrogen Demonstration Project (Dingzhou City).

(B) Overseas Developments

Vinssen:Launched South Korea's first hydrogen fuel cell-powered ship, the Hydro Zenith. This aluminum leisure vessel measures 17.4 meters in length, weighs 32 mt, and has a maximum speed of 20 knots. It is powered by two 100 kW fuel cells and four sets of 92 kW lithium-ion batteries.

Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB):The restart of the Heidekrautbahn line north of Berlin, Germany, led by Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB) and Siemens Mobility in collaboration with multiple partners including Ballard, has been successfully revived with the support of Siemens Mobility's Mireo Plus H trains. These trains utilize Ballard fuel cell technology and are designed to replace diesel multiple units on this non-electrified line.

Indian Railways and the Research Designs & Standards Organisation: Preparations for the inaugural run of the hydrogen train have been completed on the Jind to Sonipat route. The train can travel up to 180 km using 369 kg of hydrogen, with a maximum speed of 110 km/h. The Indian government claims it is the world's longest hydrogen train (with ten carriages) and the most powerful (equipped with two hydrogen fuel cell-powered locomotives with a total power of 2.4 MW).

II. Enterprise Developments: Project Signings and Technical Cooperation

(I) Project Intelligence

Fuyang Contax Bio-Engineering Technology Co., Ltd.:The self-developed high-temperature pure oxygen pressurized bubbling fluidized bed biomass gasification technology unit has successfully completed pilot testing. Under an operating pressure of 0.7 MPa, the unit achieves a carbon conversion rate exceeding 96%, with dry effective syngas accounting for over 60%, while tar content is strictly controlled below 0.003 mg/Nm³.

Zhangjiagang Jiyang Travel Service Co., Ltd.:Issued a tender for the procurement of hydrogen-assisted bicycle operation services in Zhangjiagang City. The procurement budget is set at 4 million yuan per year. Tender requirements: The supplier must independently fund the deployment of no fewer than 3,000 and no more than 6,000 hydrogen-assisted bicycles and corresponding supporting equipment within Zhangjiagang City, along with a corresponding system management platform for unified operation and maintenance of the newly deployed bicycles.

Shaanxi Hydrogen Energy Transport Co., Ltd.:The procurement for the 2026 hydrogen-powered heavy-duty tractor and trailer maintenance project has been invalidated due to an insufficient number of bidders (fewer than three).

Jinda Hongjing (Shache) Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd.:Issued a termination announcement for the procurement of the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract and supervision services for the 250 kt/year green methanol project (Phase I: 100 kt/year) based on photovoltaic-hydrogen-biomass gas coupling co-production. According to the announcement, the tenders were terminated due to major changes in the projects, and the projects were terminated at the request of the bid inviter.

Rare Earth New Material Technology Innovation Center:The "High-Density Rare Earth Solid-State Hydrogen Storage Technology and Demonstration Application" project, led by the Rare Earth New Material Technology Innovation Center in collaboration with Baotou Rare Earth Research Institute and Baotou Jinchuang Technology Co., Ltd., has made new progress. The core breakthrough of the system lies in effectively overcoming the technical bottleneck of the long-duration, high-rate hydrogen supply requirement for ton-scale NdFeB materials during the "burst period" of the hydrogen absorption reaction.

Zhongye Wukan Engineering Technology Co., Ltd.: The project forum and groundbreaking ceremony for the R&D and Application Demonstration Base of Underground Distributed Hydrogen Storage Equipment were held in Wuhan.

Gascade:German natural gas operator Gascade-Gastransport has completed the conversion of a 400-km natural gas pipeline for hydrogen transportation. It is reported that the initial filling of the pipeline sections constituting the "North-South Axis" of the joint Flow project has been completed. This pipeline starts from Lubmin and connects to Bobbau in Saxony-Anhalt.

PipeChina:China's first full-scale high-pressure pure hydrogen pipeline leakage jet fire test series was successfully conducted in Hami, Xinjiang.

Jiangsu Huade Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd.: Successfully completed the production and full-machine debugging of a new set of the HyESS-R residential hydrogen-electric energy storage system, which was shipped to a well-known university in Germany.

(II) Enterprise Dynamics

Beiqi Foton Motor Co., Ltd.: At Foton's 2026 Business Annual Meeting, Foton's Kawen Motors officially launched the mass production version of the Kawen BEACON heavy-duty truck and simultaneously displayed the BEACON family's pure electric, gaseous hydrogen, and liquid hydrogen powered car models.

Jiangsu Shuangliang Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd.: Obtained the "GC2 Grade Pressure Pipeline Design License".

Beijing Hydrosys Technology Co., Ltd.: Assisted in the official operation of the first hydrogen refueling station in the seaport area of Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone. It is reported that Hydrosys, leveraging its deep expertise in high-pressure fluid applications and hydrogen safety control technologies, provided critical hydrogen refueling station system integration technical support for this benchmark project.

Shanghai Xinran Compressor Co., Ltd.: Released an AI-based [Artificial Intelligence] professional planning solution for diaphragm compressors.

Xinyan Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd.: The Fujian Province's first hydrogen energy bus demonstration line—Xiamen Route 736—jointly developed with Xiamen King Long United, was officially launched. The core fuel cell system for this line was provided by Xinyan Hydrogen Energy.

III. Technological Advancements: Efficiency and Cost Breakthroughs

(I) Hydrogen Production, Storage, and Transportation

Beijing Hydrogen Energy Innovation Center:At the "Hydrogen Heart, Peer Cooperation, Creating and Winning the Future" Beijing Hydrogen Energy Innovation Center Achievement Release Conference, the center unveiled its R&D achievements in the forward-designed integrated hydrogen-electric chassis for heavy-duty trucks. The project's version 2.0 heavy-duty truck achieved a hydrogen consumption of 7.1 kg per 100 kilometers under plain operating conditions, and the vehicle supports flash charging, with refueling completed in 10-15 minutes.

CIMC ENRIC:The 38.7 m³ Type II tube bundle container project product, developed by its Shijiazhuang ENRIC Gas Machinery Co., Ltd., successfully rolled off the production line.

Chinese Academy of Sciences:A new technology for spraying ultra-high performance concrete (SUHPC), jointly developed by CCCC Second Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd. and the Wuhan Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was successfully applied in the initial tunnel support project for China's first rock cavern hydrogen energy storage system - the Hubei Daye Rock Cavern Hydrogen Energy Storage System.

Foshan Xianhu Laboratory:The industry's first "zero-carbon ammonia-fueled aluminum billet heating furnace" for aluminum extrusion production was launched at the Foshan Xianhu Laboratory. This equipment enables zero-carbon operation in the aluminum processing heating stage, marking a significant step forward in the green transformation of China's aluminum processing industry.

(II) Fuel Cell Technology/Product Developments

South China University of Technology:Research by Chen Yu's team discovered a Ce₀.₆Ni₀.₂Cu₀.₂O₂ nanocatalyst with a heterogeneous structure, which contributes to high-performance direct methanol protonic ceramic fuel cells.

Wuhan University of Technology:Professor Tang Haolin's team collaborated with Professor Jin Huanyu from the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. They proposed a strategy of "coupling electron-withdrawing groups to enhance proton delocalization." Through molecular structure design, they reduced the proton delocalization energy barrier in perfluorosulfonimide-phenyl*acid (PFSI-BPA) membranes, achieving a synergistic improvement in efficient proton conduction and thermal stability, which was confirmed through a combination of in-situ measurements and theoretical calculations.

Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology:By carefully designing the structure within a titanium dioxide electrolyte and leveraging the synergy between polystyrene sphere templates and lithium-based electrodes, the team successfully induced an "online in-situ structural transformation" inside the battery, ultimately forming a stable lithium-titanium-oxygen-carbon heterogeneous structure.