China Overhauls Hydrogen Production Standards to Meet Global Carbon Benchmarks

China is stepping on the gas when it comes to hydrogen, rolling out a draft of the 2025 Clean and Low-Carbon Hydrogen Evaluation Standard. If that sounds like a mouthful, here’s what it means: China’s putting real rules in place to clean up how hydrogen is made, setting tough carbon limits and syncing up with EU standards to make sure everyone’s speaking the same (eco-friendly) language. It’s all being led by Guoneng HydrogenTech, with oversight from the China Electricity Council.

New categories aim to clarify hydrogen’s carbon footprint

Under the new system, hydrogen will be sorted into three buckets—renewable, clean, and low-carbon—depending on how it’s produced and how much CO₂ is released along the way. That kind of clarity is a game-changer for the green hydrogen market, making it easier for companies to track emissions and invest accordingly.

From guidelines to enforceable rules

This isn’t just another set of suggestions. The National Energy Administration and State Administration for Market Regulation are working to replace outdated voluntary standards with enforceable, government-backed regulations. This shift supports China’s bigger climate goals—peaking emissions by 2030 and hitting full carbon neutrality by 2060.

Big ambitions, bigger challenges

Right now, there’s still a long way to go. Coal still dominates China’s hydrogen production, and renewable hydrogen only accounts for about 2%. But this new framework lays the groundwork for growing a cleaner hydrogen market, making room for cleaner exports and paving the way for serious industrial decarbonization.

Global signals and next steps

Yes, there are some bumps in the road—like ramping up hydrogen infrastructure and setting up trusted certification systems. But by aligning with EU standards now, China’s making it loud and clear: it wants to be a heavyweight in the global green hydrogen game. And with strong policy moves like this, it might just get there.