China Secures Multiple Global Firsts — The "Hydrogen Energy Leap Forward"

According to the latest news from a leading industry website in South Korea, hydrogen energy projects in South Korea are still in the pilot phase, while China has already entered an era of ultra-large-scale commercialization.

China's 14th Five-Year Plan concluded in 2025 with remarkable achievements, including multiple "world firsts" and "global largest" titles. Among its standout successes is hydrogen energy, where China has firmly established itself as a global leader.

The article analyzes how China, leveraging its abundant capital and vast domestic market, has seized a commanding position in the global hydrogen energy landscape.

The World's First Million-Ton Hydrogen-Based Steel Mill Begins Operations

Traditional blast furnace steelmaking relies on coke, which generates massive carbon dioxide emissions. China Baowu Steel Group's steelmaking project in Zhanjiang, Guangdong—equipped with an annual capacity of 1 million tons of hydrogen energy-based steelmaking equipment—officially went into production at the end of 2025.

Unlike conventional blast furnace processes, this plant uses hydrogen-based electric furnace technology, replacing coke with hydrogen. The only byproduct is water vapor, making the technology globally leading.

The core equipment of this technology is the hydrogen-based shaft furnace reduction unit, designed for an annual output of 1 million tons. Iron ore pellets move downward through the furnace, undergoing heating and reduction to achieve high metallization rates, ultimately producing high-quality steel.

Compared to traditional blast furnaces, the plant cuts carbon emissions by 50% to 80%. This translates to a reduction of 3.46 million tons of emissions annually. The Zhanjiang facility operates as an integrated production line: hydrogen-based reduced DRI (Direct Reduced Iron), electric furnace steelmaking, continuous casting, and finally, hot rolling into steel plates ready for immediate use.

This initiative represents the green transformation of China's steel industry under the 14th Five-Year Plan. With its technological groundwork laid, China will be better positioned to bypass the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and gain a stronger competitive edge in the low-carbon markets for automobiles and high-end products.

World's Largest 30MW Full-Hydrogen Gas Turbine Ignites Successfully

Last year, Mingyang Smart Energy announced that its advanced industrial park in Etuoke Banner, Ordos, Inner Mongolia, had successfully ignited the world's largest hydrogen-fired gas turbine—a 30MW 100% hydrogen-fired gas turbine. It boasts the world's largest single-unit capacity and meets all safety standards.

The system employs a combined cycle of gas and steam turbines, delivering 48MWh of electricity—enough to power 5,500 households for a full day.

Integrated with green hydrogen production and storage infrastructure, the project offsets the intermittency of renewable energy in Inner Mongolia. The complete setup includes a 240MW electrolyzer, 12 spherical storage tanks with a total capacity of 22,500 cubic meters, a 500MW wind farm, a 5MW off-grid solar installation, and an annual green ammonia production capacity of 150,000 tons.

World's Largest Hydrogen Refueling Station (10 Tons/Day) Enters Trial Operation

The world's largest hydrogen refueling station, located in Hami, Xinjiang, has been completed and is now undergoing trial operations, with a daily capacity of 10 tons. As an all-in-one facility for hydrogen production and refueling, the 19,500-square-meter site integrates both processes and primarily serves heavy-duty commercial vehicles.

Previously, the world's largest hydrogen refueling station was the H2 Mobility Station in Düren, Germany, which opened in 2025. It had a daily capacity of 5 tons and could refuel just 3 vehicles at a time. In stark contrast, the Hami station can serve around 300 vehicles per day and refuel up to 8 fuel cell heavy trucks simultaneously—a clear demonstration of its superior scale and capability.

China has set dual carbon targets under its 14th Five-Year Plan: to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. This is a national-level climate strategy driving the country's rapid progress in hydrogen energy and other low-carbon technologies.