China's hydrogen industry rides green wave with electrolyser export skyrocketing

China's hydrogen industry has seen a significant increase in export orders for electrolysers, driven by a global shift towards clean energy and a growing number of green hydrogen projects abroad.

Electrolysers, the key equipment used to produce hydrogen from water, are likely to become a new growth driver for the export sector following batteries, photovoltaics, and electric vehicles.

One leading Chinese electrolyser manufacturer in Handan City, north China's Hebei province, has already doubled its production in the first half of this year compared to the same period of last year, with export orders primarily coming from Europe and North America.

The company is actively expanding its production capacity, with over 50 percent of its future output earmarked for overseas markets.

"Our current production capacity is 350 sets of water electrolysis hydrogen production equipment per year, and by the same period of next year, this number will reach over 1,000," said Ding Rui, deputy general manager of the hydrogen energy technology company. Industry experts highlight the growing global trend of using renewable energy sources like solar and wind power to produce green hydrogen through water electrolysis. This has led to a significant increase in green hydrogen projects under construction and planning worldwide.

The Middle East and North Africa, which are rich in renewable energy resources, are particularly eager to import electrolyser equipment due to their limited domestic supply capacity. This presents significant market opportunities for Chinese electrolyser manufacturers.

"According to our statistics, by 2030, global green hydrogen production capacity will exceed 40 million tons per year, corresponding to an electrolyser installed capacity of about 460 gigawatts, creating a vast market space worth nearly a hundred billion dollars," said Zhang Yu, secretary-general of the Hydrogen Energy Branch of the China Association for the Promotion of Industry Development.

China's hydrogen industry rides green wave with electrolyser export skyrocketing

The unilateral imposition of "reciprocal tariffs" by the United States violates its free trade agreement with the Central American countries, and will harm the regional and its own economy, a former Guatemalan vice minister said in a recent interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN).

Amid growing international concern, U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an executive order introducing a 10-percent "minimum baseline tariff" on all imports, with higher rates for selected nations. The administration claimed the tariffs would level the playing field for American businesses.

"The tariff policy of the United States goes against all rules-based international trade norms. We [the Central American countries] have signed a free trade agreement with the United States, but it has violated this agreement," said Enrique Lacs, former vice minister of economy of Guatemala.

In May 2004, five Central American countries, namely Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, signed a free trade agreement with the United States. In August of the same year, the Dominican Republic also signed a free trade agreement with the United States.

According to data from the Central American Monetary Council, the United States was the largest trading partner of Central America and the Dominican Republic in 2024, with 33.7 percent of the region's imports coming from the United States and 39.5 percent of the region's exports destined for the United States. The former vice minster pointed out that the tariff policy not only affects the economies of other countries and regions, but also brings backlash to U.S. economic development.

"This tariff policy of the United States will not bring short-term benefits, it will only increase consumer costs in its domestic market," he said.

Former Guatemalan vice minister slams US tariffs as violation of regional free trade deal