Green hydrogen is forecast to dominate China's hydrogen supply in the coming decades, accounting for 90 percent by 2060 from the current negligible 0.2 percent of total production, said Liu Shiyu, vice-president of the China Electric Power Planning and Engineering Institute.

　　An analyst said the project demonstrates the potential of direct seawater electrolysis for producing green hydrogen, reducing reliance on freshwater resources while utilizing abundant coastal renewable energy, such as solar and wind power.

　　China's coastal regions boast abundant wind, solar and seawater resources, offering a clear advantage for producing green hydrogen using renewable electricity, said Lin Boqiang, head of the China Institute for Studies in Energy Policy at Xiamen University.

　　Direct seawater electrolysis can convert intermittent and hard-to-store green power into hydrogen, which is easier to store and utilize, while conserving valuable freshwater resources. This opens new pathways for the development of the hydrogen energy industry, he said.

　　China, already the world's largest producer and consumer of hydrogen, accounted for over one-third of global output in 2023, with its production reaching 35 million metric tons and expected to nearly triple to 100 million tons by midcentury.

　　Global consultancy Rystad Energy expects China's share of green hydrogen to further accelerate in the coming years, especially since it is installing new electrolyzer capacity at a world-leading pace every year.

　　Despite its advantages, the complex composition of seawater, which contains more than 90 chemical elements and a large number of microorganisms and suspended particles, brings corrosion and toxicity issues, catalyst inactivation, low electrolytic efficiency and other technical bottlenecks and challenges.