In the early autumn, the vast Songliao Plain presents a striking scene: wind turbines spin steadily while photovoltaic panels stretch across the landscape like a boundless blue ocean. The region's abundant wind and solar resources are being transformed into a steady stream of green energy. Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, along with the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission, jointly announced the list for the national hydrogen energy comprehensive application pilot program, unveiling the Northeast (including Eastern Inner Mongolia) to Yangtze River Delta hydrogen energy pilot city cluster. This marks the start of a four-year pilot initiative.
Jilin Province has secured its place in this cross-regional national pilot program, with Changchun, Siping, Songyuan, and Baicheng serving as the core components. These four cities will shoulder major responsibilities including the large-scale supply of green ammonia and methanol, as well as the demonstration and promotion of fuel cell vehicles. Jilin is now converting its unique wind and solar资源优势 into tangible industrial competitiveness, paving a green path toward developing new quality productive forces.
The foundation for green hydrogen development lies in resources, but the key is strategic布局. Baicheng and Songyuan in western Jilin boast clean energy bases with capacities reaching the ten-million-kilowatt level, providing exceptional conditions for green hydrogen production thanks to their abundant wind and solar power. Building on these resource advantages, Jilin has moved beyond a fragmented, single-point development approach. Instead, it is fostering coordinated and differentiated development among Changchun, Siping, Songyuan, and Baicheng, constructing a green hydrogen-based industrial framework with clear division of labor.
Leveraging their wind and solar资源优势, Baicheng and Songyuan have become the primary battlegrounds for the large-scale production of green hydrogen, green ammonia, and green methanol, where green electricity is continuously converted into clean fuels. Siping is accelerating the development of zero-carbon industrial parks, taking on the crucial role of local green hydrogen conversion and demonstrating industrial application scenarios. This bridges the gap between production and deployment. Meanwhile, Changchun, backed by its strong manufacturing capabilities and research resources, is focusing on the R&D and manufacturing of hydrogen energy equipment while creating demonstration application scenarios. With each region specializing in its own area while operating as one integrated unit, the synergy among resources, industries, and applications forms a complete framework for the scaled development of the hydrogen industry.
Years of dedicated effort have yielded tangible results in Jilin's hydrogen sector. Currently, the province's annual green hydrogen production capacity reaches 90,000 tons, with combined green ammonia and green methanol capacity hitting 430,000 tons per year, placing it among the nation's leaders. Several benchmark projects have continually set industry records: the State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) Da'an green hydrogen-to-ammonia integration project received the world's first green ammonia certificate, achieving five global firsts in the process. The Shanghai Electric Taonan project produced the nation's first batch of large-scale green hydrogen coupled with biomass-based green methanol, securing five national firsts. Additionally, CRRC Changchun has rolled out the "Hydrogen Spring" and "Hydrogen Source" trains, the country's first hydrogen-powered cultural tourism trains. From green electricity-based hydrogen production to hydrogen chemical manufacturing and hydrogen equipment production, a complete hydrogen industry chain has taken shape on the black soil, laying a solid practical foundation for the current national pilot initiative.
The Northeast (including Eastern Inner Mongolia) to Yangtze River Delta pilot cluster addresses a key contradiction in China's hydrogen development: the significant distance between resource-rich regions and consumer markets. The core mission of this pilot is to establish major cross-regional corridors for the流通 of green fuels. As the resource supply end of the cluster, the Jilin section focuses on large-scale green hydrogen production and the export of green liquid fuels like green ammonia and methanol. The green fuels produced on the black soil will travel across mountains and rivers to reach the Yangtze River Delta market, meeting local demands for industrial decarbonization and low-carbon shipping transition.
This is not merely about exporting products. Jilin will also actively explore cross-regional green fuel trading mechanisms, foster joint technical research between the north and south, and connect the supply chain between resource origins and consumer markets. The goal is to ensure Jilin's green energy contributes to the nation's broader "dual carbon" objectives.
The launch of this national pilot has accelerated Jilin's hydrogen industry and outlined its future development blueprint. Seizing the four-year pilot opportunity, Jilin will leverage the coordinated efforts of its four cities, deeply integrate into the cross-regional pilot cluster, and drive the advancement of the "green hydrogen+" full industrial chain, striving toward the goal of becoming the world's largest green liquid fuel supply base.
Sun Yiming, a Party Leadership Group member of the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, stated that looking ahead to the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, Jilin Province plans to add 10 million kilowatts of new energy installation capacity annually, continuously expanding its wind and solar energy foundation. The province will also deepen strategic cooperation with major central enterprises and industry leaders to ensure the phased implementation of pilot tasks. Beyond strengthening the leading industries of green hydrogen production and green liquid fuels, Jilin will expand diverse demonstration scenarios across industry, transportation, and energy storage, refine cross-regional collaboration mechanisms, and summarize and export replicable, scalable Jilin hydrogen energy experiences.
The wind is rising over Songliao, and hydrogen points the way to the future. From wind and solar resources to green fuels, and from project breakthroughs to national pilot status, Jilin is leveraging the hydrogen industry as a key driver to write a new chapter in the green transformation and comprehensive revitalization of this old industrial base.