包头氢能产业链加速成型：195公里输氢管道将投运，日加氢能力达11.6吨Baotou's hydrogen energy industry chain is accelerating: a 195-kilometer hydrogen pipeline will be put into operation, with a daily hydrogen refueling capacity of 11.6 tons

On the Damao Grassland in Baotou City, giant wind turbine blades rotate in the wind, and extensive solar panels bathe in sunlight; inside the central control room of Inner Mongolia Huadian Hydrogen Energy Technology Co., Ltd., batches of green hydrogen are produced from here. Xiao Yongjian, a member of the company's Party Committee and deputy general manager, introduced that the 200,000-kilowatt wind-solar hydrogen production demonstration project does not use grid electricity at all, relying entirely on green electricity for hydrogen production. Based on the industrial foundation and wind-solar resources, the local area regards hydrogen energy as an important part of a modern industrial system, continuously connecting the entire chain of 'production, storage, transportation, and use,' and an industrial chain of 'wind-solar-hydrogen-storage-vehicle' is accelerating its formation.

In the field of hydrogen production, leading projects continue to strengthen the capacity for green hydrogen supply. The 200,000-kilowatt wind-solar hydrogen production demonstration project in Damaoqi is equipped with 120,000 kilowatts of wind power and 80,000 kilowatts of photovoltaic power, with a designed annual green hydrogen output of 7,800 tons. Since the enterprise began producing 99.999% high-purity hydrogen in December 2023, it has successively realized applications such as hydrogen refueling for heavy-duty trucks and natural gas blending. This project has been running steadily for more than two years, and by relying on a complementary wind-solar model, it has overcome the limitation of pure photovoltaic hydrogen production that can only occur during the daytime, ensuring a relatively stable and continuous hydrogen supply. Meanwhile, a number of major projects, such as Huadian's million-kilowatt wind-solar hydrogen production, are accelerating construction, steadily expanding the scale of green hydrogen supply.

On the storage and transportation end, the long-distance hydrogen pipeline project from Baiyun Obo Mining Area to Baotou City is about to be put into operation. As an important branch line of the autonomous region's green hydrogen transmission network, the project starts from the first station in Barun Industrial Park and ends at the last station in Kundulun District, with a total length of approximately 195 kilometers. The approved annual hydrogen transmission capacity is 100,000 tons, which could reach 240,000 tons in the long term. Once the pipeline is operational, it will connect the Shanbei green hydrogen production base with the Shannan industrial and transportation hydrogen markets, significantly reducing storage and transportation costs. The Tumote Right Banner comprehensive energy station has been put into use, and together with multiple skid-mounted hydrogen refueling stations, the city's daily hydrogen refueling capacity reaches 11.6 tons.

While the supply side and pipeline network construction are accelerating, local equipment development and diverse application scenarios are being cultivated simultaneously. In the Tumote Right Banner Industrial Park, Beiben hydrogen fuel electric tractors handle logistics transportation tasks in the park, with refueling taking 15 to 20 minutes and a range of over 400 kilometers. To address the challenges of severe cold in the north, the vehicles have been adapted for extreme cold, achieving a cold start in just 40.9 seconds at minus 40.2°C. Lü Yongze, deputy chief designer at the Innovation Research Institute of Beiben Heavy-Duty Truck Group Co., Ltd., explained that this 300-kilowatt hydrogen fuel electric tractor is led by the company and developed collaboratively with the innovative consortium including Shanghai Reforge Energy Technology Co., Ltd. Through a high-power drive system, energy conservation and consumption reduction are achieved, with hydrogen consumption reduced by about 1 kilogram per 100 kilometers.

The application matrix is expanding across transportation, industry, and public livelihood sectors. Currently, Baotou is developing six hydrogen transportation routes around coal transportation, with a total of more than 160 hydrogen heavy trucks in operation; 136-ton hydrogen-powered mining vehicles have successfully rolled off the production line; over 2,300 hydrogen-powered shared two-wheelers have entered commercial squares. In the industrial sector, Inner Mongolia Jin'ebuo Fluorochemical Co., Ltd. has completed a 20% hydrogen blending demonstration with natural gas, and hydrogen-based fuel and hydrogen metallurgy demonstration projects are progressing in an orderly manner. Coordinated efforts across production, storage, transportation, and utilization are being made, gradually forming a closed-loop industrial chain.

A relevant official from the Baotou Development and Reform Commission stated that hydrogen energy is a future industry prioritized by the country. Developing the green hydrogen industry is not only an important path to achieving the 'dual carbon' goals and ensuring energy security, but also a powerful tool for old industrial bases to cultivate new productivity and promote industrial transformation. The key next step is to expand the scale of hydrogen use and broaden application scenarios. Locally, the focus will be on expanding the green hydrogen market in areas such as transportation, natural gas blending, chemicals, and metallurgy, relying on large-scale applications to reduce hydrogen production costs. In addition, leveraging the national hydrogen energy pilot projects, the region will continue to advance project implementation, improve hydrogen transport networks, and enrich application scenarios, striving to build the country's first full-scenario green hydrogen self-circulating innovative city, and explore a replicable and promotable 'Baotou model' for hydrogen energy development.

[Source: Economic Daily]

[Editor: Xiao Neng]