- Hydrogen sector investment in China doubled year on year in the first three quarters of 2026, with green hydrogen production, storage, transport and demonstration projects moving ahead quickly.
- Combined investment in power grids, new energy storage and charging and battery swap infrastructure rose 15.3%, while grid enterprises have already spent more than RMB 600 billion.
- Private enterprises put more than RMB 145 billion into energy projects, widening the investment base for distributed solar, onshore wind and charging infrastructure.
China’s National Energy Administration (NEA) said at a regular press conference on 30 October that investment in the country’s hydrogen sector doubled year on year in the first three quarters of 2026, as green hydrogen production, storage, transport and demonstration projects gathered pace.
Xing Yiteng, Deputy Director General of the NEA’s Department of Development and Planning, said investment in key national energy projects stayed stable over the period. He noted that capital spending has shifted clearly towards new, high quality and low carbon segments, with new generation power grids emerging as a major driver of the energy transition.
Combined investment in power grids, new energy storage and charging and battery swap infrastructure rose 15.3% year on year. By the end of September, fixed asset investment by grid enterprises had exceeded RMB 600 billion, equal to two thirds of the expected full year total. Work on ultra high voltage (UHV) backbone corridors, urban and rural distribution network upgrades and smart grid retrofits progressed rapidly, strengthening the base for energy transmission and consumption.
Mr Xing said the new generation power grid, a core part of the “Six Networks” initiative, goes well beyond adding capacity to conventional infrastructure. It brings a systemic change in architecture, technology and service models. China continues to expand its west to east power transmission corridors. The Northern Shaanxi to Anhui ±800 kV UHVDC project has entered commercial operation, while major schemes such as the Tibet to Greater Bay Area UHV transmission project are under construction.
Twenty five UHV direct current lines are now operating nationwide, with total transmission capacity above 340 GW. The main UHV alternating current grid frameworks for North, Central and East China have taken shape, and regional extra high voltage networks continue to improve, strengthening cross regional power dispatch. The country’s stock of charging facilities has passed 24 million units, forming the world’s largest charging network and supporting the rollout of new energy vehicles. Coordination between power sources, grids, loads and storage has also improved.
Private sector participation continues to grow. Private enterprises invested more than RMB 145 billion in energy projects in the first three quarters, taking part widely in distributed photovoltaic, onshore wind and charging and battery swap infrastructure. The NEA said a diversified investment landscape has taken hold, adding momentum to project delivery.
While safeguarding energy supply, investment priorities continue to tilt towards green and low carbon development. Spending on UHV lines, distribution networks and storage is helping to remove bottlenecks to integrating new energy into the grid at scale. At the same time, forward looking sectors such as hydrogen and smart grids are creating new growth drivers for the energy economy.
The NEA said current energy investment balances supply security with the low carbon transition. Rising capital flows into new generation grids, energy storage and hydrogen expand effective investment and provide the hardware needed for large scale new energy development and wider energy decarbonisation. As flagship energy projects progress, further investment returns are expected, supporting the build out of the new type power system and high quality energy development.
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
