China Energy Engineering Group Co Ltd, or Energy China, has commenced operations of the world's largest integrated green hydrogen, ammonia and methanol project, marking a milestone in China's push to scale up clean fuels and cut the cost of renewable energy storage and transport.

The first phase of the Songyuan hydrogen energy industrial park in Jilin province is designed to produce 45,000 metric tons of green hydrogen along with 200,000 tons of green ammonia and green methanol annually, the State-owned enterprise said on Monday.

The first phase is expected to save around 600,000 tons of standard coal equivalent annually and cut carbon dioxide emissions by about 740,000 tons, Energy China said.

The project integrates wind and solar power generation with energy storage, electrolysis and flexible chemical synthesis, tackling one of the biggest bottlenecks in renewable energy — the mismatch between intermittent power supply and the steady operating requirements of industrial chemical plants.

Ni Zhen, Party secretary and chairman of Energy China, said: "Hydrogen represents the future of energy development. China has been accelerating strategic emerging industries, including hydrogen, as new drivers of economic growth."

The project also provides a viable pathway to drive down the cost of green hydrogen and expand global markets for green energy. It has overcome several world-class technical challenges, including the precise matching of wind, solar, storage and hydrogen-ammonia-methanol production systems.

"It should be one of the best solutions to the problem of curtailment of wind and solar power," said Li Jingguang, chairman of the hydrogen energy unit at Energy China. "It enables large-scale production of green hydrogen, ammonia and methanol, significantly improving the economics of renewable energy projects."

Energy China, one of the world's largest energy and power infrastructure builders, said it will continue to expand its hydrogen portfolio.

Looking ahead, the company said it will use the Songyuan project as a springboard to deepen technological innovation and digital integration, contributing to China's broader transition to a new energy system and modern industrial structure.

chengyu@chinadaily.com.cn