At the 2024 Yangtze River Delta (Jiaxing) Hydrogen Industry Investment Promotion Conference held in Jiaxing Port Area, Zhejiang province on Oct 12, a Yangtze River Delta Hydrogen Corridor Project was revealed.

This initiative aims to establish a "hydrogen highway" connecting Jiaxing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Ningbo. The corridor will feature around 30 hydrogen refueling stations along a 650-kilometer route, with a daily filling capacity exceeding 20 metric tons to serve over 1,000 vehicles. The project is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 120,000 tons annually.

At the conference, 15 hydrogen projects were signed, which covered core components research, equipment manufacturing, system integration, and international market expansion, totaling over 3.27 billion yuan ($462 million) in investments.

Since 2019, Jiaxing Port Area has leveraged its industrial by-product hydrogen resources and diverse applications, and has attracted 27 hydrogen enterprises with investments exceeding 6.5 billion yuan. In 2023, the hydrogen industry in Jiaxing achieved sales revenue of 956 million yuan.

Hydrogen-powered container trucks at Jiaxing Port's Zhapu Port Area have been strong proof for the city's hydrogen development. These trucks have been operational for 836 day, which has increased efficiency while lower costs. Compared with traditional oil vehicles, these trucks can reduce fuel costs of about 3 million yuan per year and carbon emissions by about 6,000 tons.

The conference also highlighted the construction of China's first hydrogen-powered container ship, set to launch by the end of 2024.