China Petroleum and Chemical Corp said on Monday that the company's first proton exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen production demonstration station was launched and put into use in its affiliated Yanshan Petrochemical.

The company, also known as Sinopec and the world's largest refiner by volume, said that the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer, the core component of the demonstration station, has a hydrogen production efficiency of more than 85 percent, and its anode and cathode catalysts, bipolar plates and other key material components are all self-developed.

As one of the cleanest forms of energy, hydrogen will play a key role in pushing forward the green transition of the world's energy mix, said Ling Yiqun, vice president of Sinopec Group.

It will also further facilitate the world's sustainable development, he added.

The company plans to invest 30 billion yuan during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period in hydrogen-related business, including hydrogen refueling stations and hydrogen storage facilities construction, all of which is believed to achieve a carbon dioxide reduction of more than 10 million tons.

The company also plans to build 1,000 hydrogen refueling stations, 5,000 charging and battery swap stations and 7,000 distributed photovoltaic power generation sites during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. It has already built 21 hydrogen refueling stations in 14 provinces and cities, including Guangdong, Shanghai and Hainan.