On March 16th, it was reported that the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, the National Development and Reform Commission, and other three departments recently issued a notice on the pilot work of hydrogen energy comprehensive application (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"), proposing to select urban agglomerations with good industrial foundations, rich application scenarios, strong hydrogen energy resource guarantee capabilities, and complete industrial chains through the "unveiling and leading" method to carry out hydrogen energy comprehensive application pilot projects first. By 2030, hydrogen energy in urban agglomerations will be applied on a large scale in multiple fields; The national fuel cell vehicle ownership is striving to reach 100000 units. Analysis suggests that as an important component of the future national energy system, hydrogen energy is standing at a critical juncture of scale and commercialization. During the 15th Five Year Plan period, pilot projects for comprehensive application of hydrogen energy will be carried out to promote the large-scale and high-quality development of China's hydrogen energy industry through scenario guidance, technical support, and policy support. This will help expand the application of green electricity, cultivate new drivers of economic growth, and promote the deep decarbonization and green transformation of traditional industries. During the 14th Five Year Plan period, China's hydrogen energy industry has initially established a relatively complete industrial and supply chain. It is reported that by the end of 2025, China's cumulative sales of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles will be nearly 40000, with 574 hydrogen refueling stations built and a refueling capacity of over 360 tons per day, ranking first in the world. A batch of 10000 ton green hydrogen, 100000 ton green ammonia alcohol, and million ton hydrogen metallurgy industrialization projects have been put into operation one after another, and the refining and coal chemical industries have achieved stable replacement applications of some green hydrogen. The person in charge of the Energy Conservation and Comprehensive Utilization Department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology stated that China's hydrogen energy industry has achieved a breakthrough from 0 to 1, entering a critical stage of crossing the technological and economic turning point and rapid scale development. However, it should also be noted that hydrogen energy applications face problems such as limited scenarios, shortage of green hydrogen, high prices, and difficulties in storage, transportation, and refueling. The business model has not yet been formed, and market demand needs to be released. Continuous efforts and key support from the national level are needed to discover and solve problems through application traction. In response, the Notice proposes to expand the application scenarios of hydrogen energy from fuel cell vehicles to diverse fields such as transportation and industry through urban agglomeration pilot projects. By 2030, hydrogen energy in urban agglomerations will be applied on a large scale in various fields, and the average price of terminal hydrogen will be reduced to below 25 yuan/kg, striving to be reduced to around 15 yuan/kg in some advantageous areas; The number of fuel cell vehicles in China is expected to double compared to 2025, with the goal of reaching 100000 vehicles. By expanding the application scale, promoting innovation and breakthroughs in hydrogen energy application technology, processes, and equipment, achieving iterative upgrades in fuel cells, electrolytic cells, storage and transportation devices, and materials, and promoting hydrogen energy as a new economic growth point. The Notice specifies that each urban agglomeration should prioritize pilot projects in application scenarios such as fuel cell vehicles, green ammonia alcohols, hydrogen based chemical raw material substitution, hydrogen metallurgy, and hydrogen doped combustion that meet the conditions, actively explore innovative hydrogen energy application scenarios, and form a comprehensive hydrogen energy application ecosystem of "1 fuel cell vehicle general scenario+N industrial application scenarios+X innovative application scenarios". Specifically, a universal scenario for fuel cell vehicles, highlighting the pilot promotion of medium and heavy-duty trucks, medium and long-distance heavy-duty trucks, and cold chain logistics models. N industrial scale application scenarios, mainly including green ammonia alcohol, hydrogen based chemical raw material substitution, hydrogen metallurgy, hydrogen doped combustion, etc. X innovative application scenarios for hydrogen energy, including ships, aviation, rail transit, two wheelers, etc. This will promote the expansion of hydrogen energy application scenarios from fuel cell vehicles to diverse fields with conditions such as transportation and industry. Zhao Weidong, Director of the Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection Research Institute at CCID Research Institute, told Economic Reference Daily reporters that besides fuel cell vehicles, hydrogen energy has the potential for large-scale applications in areas such as hydrogen metallurgy, green hydrogen chemical industry, hydrogen based green fuels in the shipping industry, and hydrogen energy heating and power generation. For example, as the industry with the highest carbon emissions in the industrial sector, replacing traditional coke oven steelmaking with hydrogen metallurgy in the future will significantly reduce carbon emissions. At present, hydrogen metallurgy industrialization projects have been put into operation or under construction in Hebei Iron and Steel Group, China Baowu, China Steel Research Institute, etc. Hydrogen based vertical furnace technology is developing rapidly, with a production capacity of about 2 million tons per year for already put into operation facilities. As an important chemical reducing agent, hydrogen has broad development prospects in the fields of coal chemical and oil chemical industries. According to the unit GDP carbon reduction target calculated by Guojin Securities based on the 2026 government work report, the demand for green hydrogen will reach 3 million tons by 2026, driving about 27.8 GW of electrolytic cells. During the "15th Five Year Plan" period, the demand for green hydrogen will climb to 65 million tons, corresponding to about 602 GW of electrolytic cells. The path of downstream application of hydrogen energy is gradually becoming clear, and it will be the first to break through from the transportation and chemical industries with the lowest price sensitivity, and promote along the path of "green shipping, hydrogen heavy-duty trucks, chemical industry, metallurgy, and energy storage". The notice also proposes to establish and improve a safety management system, and promote pilot work on the basis of ensuring safety. Encourage pilot cities to actively introduce supportive policies and increase research and development support for key technologies and equipment in the fields of hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and utilization. Improve the policy and institutional environment, and encourage the introduction of convenient policies such as the passage of fuel cell vehicles between cities. Zhao Weidong stated that the next step is to adhere to "scenario driven, system closed-loop, multi energy complementary, and integrated development", accelerate research on a package of support policies that meet the development needs of the hydrogen energy industry in the new stage, lead technological breakthroughs, and expand application markets. Among them, key links and prominent issues can be focused on, driven by application scenarios, supported by technological equipment, and explored through business models. This approach aims to use point to area, application to industry, and large-scale multi scenario applications to lower the cost curve. The system promotes the key technology research and promotion of the entire chain of hydrogen production, storage, transportation, and utilization, and drives cost reduction and efficiency improvement throughout the entire industry chain through technological innovation. (New Society)