On November 15, 2021, the International Hydrogen Energy Industry Development Forum and the launching ceremony of the International Hydrogen Energy Center (IHEC) were held in Beijing. Mr. Li Yong, Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); Mr. Zhang Yi, Deputy Director of China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE); Ms. Yang Xiuling, Director of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology; Mr. Lin Jianhua, Deputy Mayor of Haidian District of Beijing; Mr. Zeng Rong, Vice President of Tsinghua University and other guests delivered speeches for the event. Mr. Jin Qinxian, Deputy Secretary-General of Tsinghua University and the Director of Beijing Tsinghua Industrial R&D Institute (BTIRDI), presided over the event.

The Ceremony and The Forum Held Online

The Director-General said that hydrogen energy is one of the main paths to achieve the global clean energy transformation, the development of the global hydrogen energy industry is receiving unprecedented international attention. The cooperation between UNIDO and the Beijing Municipal Government to establish the IHEC is an important part of UNIDO’s global green hydrogen strategy. UNIDO has undertaken a series of activities around the IHEC to enhance global awareness of hydrogen energy through exchanges with other international experts from UNIDO Member States.

Mr. Li Yong, Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

Mr. Zhang Yi said that as the main partner of UNIDO projects designated by the Ministry of Commerce in China, CICETE will work closely with implementing partners such as Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology and BTIRDI to support the high-quality development of the IHEC, pragmatically promote green and low-carbon development, and make positive contributions to China’s decarbonization goals.

Mr. Zhang Yi, Deputy Director of China International Center for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE)

Ms. Yang Xiuling said that during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, Beijing will build itself into a hydrogen energy industry city with international influence. The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology will actively build an innovation demonstration system that integrates technology research and development with industrial application around the IHEC, form a global carbon neutral industry cooperation ecology based on the multilateral cooperation network of UNIDO, and provide industrial support and service guarantee for more domestic and foreign related enterprises to settle down in Beijing.

Ms. Yang Xiuling, Director of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology

Mr. Lin Jianhua said that as an important way to achieve the “dual carbon” goals, the promotion and application of hydrogen energy has received unprecedented attention, and the IHEC will serve as a “Haidian force” for achieving peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality. In the future, the IHEC will continue to cooperate with research institutions and leading enterprises in various countries around the world to make key and core technological breakthroughs. He said that the Haidian District will also do its good job in service guarantee and promoting the implementing of innovative hydrogen energy enterprises in Haidian.

Mr. Lin Jianhua, Deputy Mayor of Haidian District of Beijing

Mr. Zeng Rong said that Tsinghua University is closely focusing on the “dual carbon” goal, integrating the advantages and characteristics of related disciplines, and playing an innovative and leading role in basic theoretical research and key technological breakthroughs concerning carbon neutrality. It is hoped that the IHEC can rely on the discipline resources of Tsinghua University, carry out extensive cooperation with relevant international organizations and institutions, and deeply connect with the scientific research resources of leading enterprises and top scientific research institutions at home and abroad, so as to create a supporting environment for technology research and development, product development and industrial demonstration of hydrogen energy enterprises, and to promote the development of hydrogen energy industry in China and even the world.

Mr. Zeng Rong, Vice President of Tsinghua University

At the subsequent International Hydrogen Energy Industry Development Forum, Tareq Emtairah, Director of the Energy Division of the UNIDO, and the Counselors of the embassies of Australia, Denmark, Japan, South Korea, Norway and the United Kingdom addressed the forum. Focusing on the status quo and trend of global hydrogen energy development, top scholars and outstanding enterprise representatives in the field of hydrogen energy from various countries conducted panoramic displays and in-depth discussions. The forum was chaired by Ms. Qian Jingbin, Director of the International Cooperation Department of BTIRDI.

The Site of the Launching Ceremony

At the subsequent International Hydrogen Energy Industry Development Forum, Tareq Emtairah, Director of the Energy Division of the UNIDO, and the Counselors of the embassies of Australia, Denmark, Japan, South Korea, Norway and the United Kingdom addressed the forum. Focusing on the status quo and trend of global hydrogen energy development, top scholars and outstanding enterprise representatives in the field of hydrogen energy from various countries conducted panoramic displays and in-depth discussions. The forum was chaired by Ms. Qian Jingbin, Director of the International Cooperation Department of BTIRDI.

Representatives of UNIDO and Counselors of Various Countries Addressed the Forum

Mr. Ouyang Minggao, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and professor of Tsinghua University, said in the keynote speech that hydrogen energy is an ideal choice for the low-carbon transformation and upgrading of many traditional industries and will play an important role in the future social economy. After more than ten years of development, China’s hydrogen-powered fuel cell technology has gradually matured. In the upcoming 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, 2,000 fuel cell vehicles will be put in. After 2025, the total number of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles is expected to reach 50,000 to 100,000. Academician Ouyang also pointed out that the use of green hydrogen will increase significantly in the future, with great development prospects and a series of challenges. The government must continue to increase investment, promote hydrogen energy technology research and development and industrial upgrading, solve problems related to hydrogen energy utilization, and facilitate the development of the whole chain of green hydrogen, in order to truly contribute to China's “dual carbon goals”.

During the keynote speech session, the guests made introductions to and had in-depth exchanges on technologies including hydrogen production through water electrolysis, SOEC electrolysis, perfluorinated proton exchange membrane, PEM, and hydrogen security, and on related projects and demonstrative applications in the field of hydrogen energy in various countries. The guests include Ms. Petra Schwager, Chief of Energy Technologies and Industrial Applications Division of UNIDO; Mr. Martin Freer, Director of the Energy Research Accelerator, also Professor & Director of the Birmingham Energy Institute at the University of Birmingham; Mr. Li Junhua, Director of Handan Purifying Equipment Research Institute; Mr. Huang Zhengguo, Professor of University of Technology Sydney; Mr. Tore Sylvester Jeppesen, Vice President of Haldor Topsoe; Mr. Zhang Zhenhao, General Manager of VON ARDENNE Vacuum Equipment (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.; Mr. Jorg Gigler, Topsector Energie Managing Director of TKI Nieuw Gas; Mr. Zhang Yongming, Professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Mr. Knut Vågsæther, Professor of University of South-Eastern Norway; Mr. Yang Kai, Project Director of TMIC, also Vice General Manager of United Fuel Cell System R&D (Beijing) Co., Ltd.; and Mr. Zhao Zuozhi, global Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Asia Pacific new energy business of Siemens Energy.

Keynote Speeches by Representatives

Nearly 140 representatives from government agencies, research institutions and leading enterprises in the field of hydrogen energy from China, UNIDO, Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany and other countries attended the seminar online.

IHEC is a technology innovation centre with global influence in the field of hydrogen energy with the support of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economic and Information Technology and CICETE and in cooperation with UNIDO. Relying on China’s hydrogen energy technology R&D and industrial development, the center will form a hydrogen energy technology and industrial innovation system that integrates basic research, technology R&D and industrial implementation, break through the key bottleneck of each stage of hydrogen energy industrial development, and build a global hydrogen energy technology innovation highland by making key and core technologies R&D, cultivating leading enterprises, carrying out industry application and demonstration, and formulating international standards.