As a major national base for coal, coking and unconventional natural gas production, Lyuliang has a production capacity of 210 million metric tons of coal, 38 million tons of coke and 3.5 billion cubic meters of unconventional natural gas. The city has resource advantages for developing hydrogen through industrial by-products, coal gasification, natural gas and water electrolysis.

Xiong said the city's annual coke oven gas output, an industrial by-product, is 8 billion cubic meters, capable of producing more than 400,000 tons of blue hydrogen per year. The cost of high-purity hydrogen is about 8 yuan ($1.13) per kilogram — far below the industry average.

"Lyuliang currently has 14 provincial-level key enterprises in the hydrogen energy industry chain, with hydrogen production capacity ranking first in Shanxi," he said.

Since 2019, Shanxi Pengfei Group has been developing the Pengwan Hydrogen Port Hydrogen Energy Industrial Park with high standards, achieving significant breakthroughs across the full hydrogen energy industry chain. The park aims to become a globally competitive hub for hydrogen energy innovation, according to the company.

In Xiaoyi, a county-level city under Lyuliang's administration, the group has completed the first phase of the Pengfei Zhichuang Automotive Manufacturing Industrial Park, with an annual production capacity of 300,000 hydrogen-powered heavy trucks — the leading scale nationwide.

The company recently launched six new models of hydrogen-powered heavy trucks featuring lightweight designs, with the lightest model weighing 9.98 tons, hydrogen consumption as low as 7.5 liters per 100 kilometers, and a range exceeding 650 km.

The group has also deployed 830 hydrogen energy vehicles — including heavy trucks, minibuses, buses, loaders and two-wheelers — forming an intelligent operation system that integrates vehicle manufacturing, energy and transportation capacity.

So far, Lyuliang has built 14 hydrogen refueling stations, accounting for half of Shanxi's total. It has established an assembly line with an annual capacity of 6,000 hydrogen-powered commercial vehicles and deployed more than 700 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, the most in the province.

Focusing on vehicles, hydrogen and energy, Lyuliang aims to build a full industrial chain for hydrogen-powered trucks, a "production-storage-transportation-refueling-application" hydrogen ecosystem, and a multi-energy complementary system integrating coal, wind and solar power with hydrogen, Xiong said.

With 69,000 heavy trucks and 3,300 medium and large buses, Lyuliang has strong potential for promoting hydrogen-powered vehicles. It has already deployed more than 650 hydrogen-powered heavy trucks for freight, public transportation and specialized logistics.

"With the successful operation of zero-carbon hydrogen heavy truck routes from Lyuliang to Tianjin and Lyuliang to Huanghua Port in Hebei province, the city has pioneered purely commercial long-distance hydrogen-powered heavy truck operations in China," Xiong said. "Some trucks have achieved annual mileage exceeding 100,000 km."

The operation of these routes demonstrates that hydrogen-powered heavy trucks can replace traditional fuel vehicles under long-distance and high-intensity logistics conditions, he said.

"In Xiaoyi, 500 hydrogen-powered shared bikes have also been deployed to extend hydrogen energy applications to public transportation, enhancing public awareness and acceptance of hydrogen energy technology," he added.

Xiong said strengthened policy support has injected new momentum into the hydrogen industry's growth. "We have formulated the Medium- and Long-Term Development Plan for the Hydrogen Energy Industry in Lyuliang (2022-35) and established a special fund of no less than 100 million yuan each year," he said. "We have also worked with university expert teams to attract top enterprises from home and abroad."

Lyuliang is also participating in a provincial-level pilot project for a regional integrated energy supply system, aiming to build a new energy system with one main regional integrated system and multiple green power parks.

"During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we will continue to lead industrial transformation through the energy revolution, make new progress in advancing the resource-based economy and write a new chapter for Lyuliang in promoting Chinese-style modernization," Xiong said.

Contact the writers at zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn