氢能的主战场在窑炉：佛山的氨氢燃烧与产业链配套The Main Battlefield of Hydrogen Energy is in Furnaces: Ammonia-Hydrogen Combustion and Industrial Chain Support in Foshan

Minghui

The competition for a hydrogen energy city, on the surface, is a competition of policies and subsidies; at a deeper level, it is a competition of industrial structure. Whose traditional industries most need decarbonization, who then has the most motivation to advance hydrogen from demonstration scenarios to production lines. Foshan's answer is kilns—there, natural gas is burned, and it is also the city's largest source of carbon emissions.

41 hydrogen refueling stations, over 200 hydrogen enterprises and institutions, hydrogen energy patents accounting for 12% nationwide. All these three figures belong to Foshan, and all are first among prefecture-level cities. On the hydrogen energy track, Foshan has been running for eighteen years.

Foshan's foundation for developing hydrogen energy is not resources, but industry. This city has 11,000 industrial enterprises above designated size, with trillion-level industrial clusters in equipment manufacturing and general home furnishings. The compressors, valves, pressure vessels, metal processing, and control systems needed for hydrogen energy can all be found in Foshan's industrial catalog. This is its biggest difference from other hydrogen cities—elsewhere, hydrogen comes first, then the industry; in Foshan, industry comes first, then hydrogen grows.

According to the data released by the Foshan Development and Reform Bureau, the city has more than 200 hydrogen energy enterprises and institutions, making it one of the few cities in China that simultaneously possesses the ability to produce all eight core components of fuel cells as well as complete vehicles. The city has built 41 hydrogen refueling stations, the highest number in the country. Hydrogen energy patents account for 12% nationwide, maintaining the top position among prefecture-level cities. The core hub is Nanhai, which hosts more than 170 enterprises and institutions, accounting for about one-third of the total in Guangdong province.

The eight core components of fuel cells include fuel cell stacks, membrane electrodes, bipolar plates, proton exchange membranes, catalysts, gas diffusion layers, air compressors, and hydrogen circulation pumps. Being able to assemble all eight indicates that the industry chain is not just an assembly plant but a complete ecosystem with materials, components, and systems. This capability is rare in Chinese cities.

The 18-year timespan best illustrates Foshan's pathway. For nine consecutive years, Nanhai District has included hydrogen energy in its government work reports, starting from a demonstration project and advancing to become the "China Hydrogen Energy Industry Capital," relying on long-term planning. What emerging industries lack most is not policy but patience; Foshan has incorporated patience into its annual government work reports.

The scenario is Foshan's strongest card. Hydrogen energy trams, hydrogen energy buses, hydrogen energy logistics vehicles, hydrogen energy construction waste vehicles, hydrogen energy two-wheelers—this city has almost tried every possible use case. The hydrogen refueling station plan in Nanhai provides a clear demand estimate: 30 stations will be built from 2025 to 2026; from 2027 to 2028, full-scale co-location of oil and hydrogen stations will be implemented, with a total of 92 stations throughout the district; by 2030, 176 stations will be basically completed, ensuring hydrogen refueling needs for 2,600 official cars, 2,100 logistics and construction waste vehicles, nearly 2,000 buses, and 40,000 two-wheelers.

The thinking behind this plan is worth other cities learning from. The number of stations is not decided arbitrarily; it is derived based on the vehicle fleet size. The station types are not all newly built; they include co-located oil and hydrogen stations and reuse of land. The construction of stations is not rolled out all at once; it is advanced in three phases. A hydrogen refueling network is a capital-intensive asset, and the pace of development is more important than scale.

What truly distinguishes Foshan from other hydrogen cities is the 'ammonia-hydrogen integration.' Led by Academician Cheng Yibing's team from Xianhu Laboratory, the world's first zero-carbon ammonia-hydrogen combustion production line for the ceramic industry has been put into operation at Mona Lisa, achieving several months of stable operation. The significance of this project lies not in the laboratory, but in Foshan's pillar industry — ceramics.

Ceramics is a typical high-temperature industry, with kilns requiring natural gas to reach temperatures of over a thousand degrees Celsius. Replacing natural gas with ammonia and hydrogen effectively changes the entire industry's carbon emission pathway. Foshan has a massive ceramic production capacity, and once the technology is proven and economically viable, the volume of emissions reduction will far exceed that in the transportation sector. This also explains why Foshan extends hydrogen energy from transportation to industry: its industrial structure determines that the main battlefield for hydrogen is in kilns, not cars.

Going overseas is a new initiative in 2026. From May 18 to 19, the 2026 International Hydrogen Energy Development Forum was held in Hong Kong. Liu Jie, member of the Standing Committee of the Foshan Municipal Committee and Executive Vice Mayor, delivered a keynote speech at the opening ceremony. On the following day, the forum set up a special 'Local Practices in the Hydrogen Energy Industry Seminar' Foshan session, where dozens of hydrogen energy enterprises and institutions from Foshan made a collective appearance. At the meeting, Wong Shuk-han, Deputy Secretary for Environment and Ecology of Hong Kong, stated that Foshan is China’s hydrogen capital, with industrial layout leading the nation, and is an important cooperation partner for Hong Kong.

The significance of this forum is more than just a showcase. The path of 'Foshan Intelligent Manufacturing—Hong Kong Going Overseas—Global Market' was repeatedly mentioned at the venue. Hong Kong has international capital, international standards, and international channels, while Foshan has manufacturing capabilities and a complete industrial chain. The combination of the two points towards the export of hydrogen energy equipment. For a Foshan-based enterprise producing hydrogen storage cylinders or hydrogen refueling machines, Hong Kong is a springboard, not the end point.

Foshan has a very clear judgment of itself. Wang Huiyan, Director of the Greater Bay Area Office of the Municipal Development and Reform Bureau, set the tone at the forum with three perspectives: looking at the trend, hydrogen energy has shifted from a 'future option' to a 'contested territory'; looking at Foshan, fully committed to building the 'Hydrogen Energy Industry Capital of China'; looking at the future, Hong Kong and Foshan united, joining hands to advance in the new track. She also cited a report from an international energy research institute pointing out that 2026 will be a critical turning point for global hydrogen energy, and whoever can first open application scenarios and achieve a commercial closed loop, shifting from 'telling stories' to 'calculating costs,' will seize the opportunity.

The three words 'calculating costs' are precisely the next phase challenge for Foshan's hydrogen energy. Behind 41 hydrogen refueling stations is operational pressure; behind more than 200 companies is competition for orders; behind holding 12% of national patents is the technology conversion rate. The demonstration phase relies on government funding, while the commercialization phase must rely on the market, and this transition will not happen automatically.

The first observation window is hydrogen pricing. Nationwide, the terminal hydrogen price at refueling stations is moving from above 30 yuan per kilogram toward 25 yuan, with Guangdong, where Foshan is located, leading the way; Guangzhou has already dropped to 25.9 yuan/kg in 2026. Every 1 yuan decrease in hydrogen price lowers the full lifecycle cost of heavy trucks, increasing the possibility of a commercial closed loop.

The second window is equipment going overseas. Global hydrogen projects are moving from demonstration to scale, and the procurement of electrolyzers, hydrogen storage tanks, and refueling station equipment is increasing. Foshan's equipment manufacturing capability, combined with Hong Kong's international channels, has the opportunity to turn 'selling equipment' into 'selling standards.' This is more valuable than engaging in price wars domestically.

The third window is industrial substitution. If ammonia-hydrogen combustion in ceramic kilns can be replicated across more production lines, the structure of Foshan's hydrogen demand will fundamentally change—from small-batch, multi-point traffic usage to large-batch, centralized industrial usage. This would restructure the economics of the entire hydrogen refueling and storage-transport network.

The story of Foshan shows that the competition among hydrogen energy cities ultimately is not about policy strength, but about industrial structure. Whoever's traditional industries most need decarbonization will have the greatest motivation to turn hydrogen energy into a real business. Foshan's ceramics, aluminum profiles, and furniture industries are all high-temperature and high-energy-consuming sectors, which not only creates pressure for emissions reduction but also represents a market for hydrogen energy.

Eighteen years, 41 stations, more than 200 enterprises. Foshan has not treated hydrogen energy as just a concept, but has developed it into an industrial ecosystem. The next eighteen years will test whether this ecosystem can sustain itself.

Foshan's hydrogen energy industrial chain has another often overlooked advantage: a channel for equipment exports. The city has more than 200 hydrogen energy enterprises and institutions, covering hydrogen production, storage and transportation, refueling, fuel cells, systems, and vehicles, which means that overseas customers can complete the procurement of the entire chain in one city. This 'one-stop' capability is something that most other hydrogen energy cities in China do not have.

The challenges are also laid out openly. The operating costs of 41 hydrogen refueling stations, the order competition among more than 200 companies, and the efficiency of converting patent advantages all need to be tested during the commercialization stage. Foshan's answer is to continue moving toward the industrial end—once ammonia-hydrogen combustion in ceramic kilns is scaled up, the demand structure for hydrogen will shift from decentralized vehicle refueling to centralized industrial energy supply, and the economics of the entire chain will be reassessed.

[Information and data in the text come from: Public reports by the Foshan Development and Reform Bureau on May 20, 2026; public information on Nanhai District hydrogen station planning and the hydrogen energy industry from the Foshan government portal; information from the 2026 International Hydrogen Energy Development Forum; Guangzhou Daily report on April 17, 2026]

[Research support institutions: Energy and Dual-Carbon Research Center, China Industrial Newspaper | China Energy Industry Development Network]

Data sources referenced in this article: Guangzhou Daily, Foshan Development and Reform Bureau, Foshan government portal, 2026 International Hydrogen Energy Development Forum