China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group), China's major oil refiner, on Friday announced that its 20,000-tonne-per-year green hydrogen plant in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has begun operations.

The new plant in Xinjiang's Kuqa City is China's first 10,000-tonne-level photovoltaic-based hydrogen production project. It is expected to set an example for the industry to realize carbon emissions reduction by tapping into the great potential of green hydrogen on a large scale, according to the group.

Construction started in March 2022, and the project mainly deals with photovoltaic power generation, power transformation, electrolytic hydrogen production, hydrogen storage and transportation, and has other supporting facilities.

It can store 210,000 cubic meters of hydrogen and transport 28,000 cubic meters of hydrogen every hour.

As a green hydrogen demonstration project, the plant relies on renewable energy such as solar power and wind power to produce hydrogen, rather than the conventional natural gas. It is estimated that it will help slash 485,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually, the group said.

The group now produces and utilizes about 4.5 million tonnes of hydrogen every year. It has built over 100 hydrogen fueling stations amid its efforts to become China's leading hydrogen energy company.

（Picture: Veer）