The U.S. California Hydrogen Delegation Visits Houpu; Both Parties Sign Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation

Delegation members included Ms. Cuimei Zhao, Founder of Global.SF; Mr. Weiming Yan, Senior Advisor; Mr. Gang Chen, North China Regional Representative; and Ms. Ying Wei, Representative of the California Office for China Affairs—among more than ten representatives from government agencies and enterprises. Accompanying the delegation during the site visit and symposium were Mr. Jianhua Zou, Assistant to the President of Houpu Co., Ltd., and Ms. Mei Han, Deputy General Manager of Houpu International Company, along with other relevant executives.

During the symposium, Ms. Cuimei Zhao, Founder of Global.SF, outlined California’s current status and policy framework for hydrogen energy development. California possesses abundant solar irradiation resources, conferring a distinct cost advantage for green electricity–based hydrogen production. Presently, California has designated green hydrogen as a critical pathway for decarbonizing the transportation sector; partial hydrogen refueling networks have been established across major cities, and certain hydrogen fuel cell trucks have already entered commercial operation. Looking ahead, California aims to advance multifaceted cooperation with China in the hydrogen energy domain. She emphasized that scaling up green hydrogen applications requires coordinated efforts across the entire industrial chain—from hydrogen production and refueling to vehicle operations—to establish a fully integrated, closed-loop ecosystem.

Mr. Jianhua Zou shared China’s domestic hydrogen application landscape and elaborated on multiple practical case studies of Houpu’s hydrogen energy projects. In Shanxi Province, the company has integrated coal mine–derived gray hydrogen (a by-product of coal mining) with regional freight demand, having successfully completed the construction of several hydrogen refueling stations. In Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Houpu is participating in an integrated green hydrogen production–storage–refueling–utilization project, supporting logistics operations for the China–Europe Railway Express. In Guangdong Province, Houpu serves as the EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) general contractor for a renewable-energy–based (biogas) hydrogen production and refueling mother station project; the entire production process entails zero incremental carbon emissions, thereby opening novel pathways and directions for urban solid waste treatment and clean energy utilization. Regarding end-use applications, Houpu’s independently developed hydrogen-powered two-wheelers have achieved commercial deployment and demonstrate compelling economic viability—representing a valuable exploration of hydrogen energy in short-distance mobility.