China has approved four-year hydrogen application pilot programmes across five city clusters, including Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and the Greater Bay Area, as the country seeks to expand hydrogen use in transport and industry, three government departments said on Friday.

The other three groupings are Northeast China, including eastern Inner Mongolia, linked with the Yangtze River Delta; Xinjiang linked with the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle; and the Yellow River Bend region linked with the Central Plains.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Finance Ministry and the National Development and Reform Commission will monitor progress and assess performance, with results determining central government funding.

Each cluster can receive up to CNY 1.6 billion (USD 224m/EUR 213m) over four years. Funding could be cut or suspended if progress falls short of expectations or local governments fail to disburse supporting funds on time.

The pilots will focus on hydrogen technology development, industrial applications, fuel-cell vehicles and refuelling infrastructure. They aim to extend hydrogen use beyond transport into sectors such as steelmaking and chemicals, helping lower costs and support industrial decarbonisation.

Compiled from：Renewables