Sinopec green hydrogen project reaches 10,000-ton scale in Xinjiang

The Xinjiang Kuqa Green Hydrogen Pilot Project has become China’s first photovoltaic-based hydrogen production plant to reach a scale of 10,000 tons. Located in the Kuqa region of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the facility utilizes solar panels in the Gobi Desert to generate green electricity, which is transported over 20 kilometers to electrolyze water into hydrogen.

The produced green hydrogen is supplied to the Tahe Refining and Chemical Company, a subsidiary of Sinopec, to replace natural gas in the oil refining process. According to Li Ruixia, manager of the Hydrogen Energy Management Department at Sinopec Star New Energy, the project has the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 485,000 tons annually if operating at full capacity. The facility has demonstrated the viability of large-scale industrial green hydrogen applications through consistent operation since its production began in June 2023.