Global assembly organizer says China 'green hydrogen powerhouse'

China was hailed as "a green hydrogen powerhouse" for its strides in developing clean hydrogen at the first-ever Green Hydrogen Global Assembly, which was concluded here Wednesday.

The two-day event was co-organized by the Green Hydrogen Organisation (GH2), a Swiss non-profit foundation, and the Spanish government, aiming to promote green hydrogen as a clean alternative to fossil fuels.

"China is playing a leading role: the vast majority of the world's electrolysers are made in China, and China is rolling out more renewable energy than any other country, including more hydro," Malcolm Turnbull, the chair of GH2 and former Australian Prime Minister, told Xinhua.

"Green hydrogen is a critically important piece and by 2050 will probably represent somewhere between 20 and 25 percent of all of our energy sources," Turnbull said.

Addressing a special session via video link, Zhang Lei, founder and CEO of the Envision Group, a Chinese green tech company, said the application of green hydrogen, together with carbon-neutral industrial parks, will "accelerate the drive towards green industrialization, increase market confidence and support the global energy transition."

In 2021, China produced about 33 million tonnes of hydrogen, making it the world's largest hydrogen producer. By 2035, the proportion of hydrogen produced from renewable energy will increase significantly in the country, according to a plan jointly released by China's National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration in March.