On the vast plains of the Songliao region in early autumn, wind turbines spin steadily while photovoltaic panels stretch out like an endless blue ocean. These abundant wind and solar resources are being converted into powerful green energy. Recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the National Development and Reform Commission jointly announced the national hydrogen energy comprehensive application pilot list, including the Northeast (including eastern Inner Mongolia) to Yangtze River Delta hydrogen energy pilot city cluster, officially launching a four-year pilot construction phase. With Changchun, Siping, Songyuan, and Baicheng as the core cities, Jilin Province has secured a place in this cross-regional national-level pilot program, taking on major responsibilities including large-scale supply of green ammonia and methanol, as well as demonstration and promotion of fuel cell vehicles. Jilin is transforming its exceptional wind and solar resources into tangible industrial competitiveness, paving the way for a green development path that fosters new productive forces.

The foundation for developing green hydrogen lies in resources, and the key lies in strategic planning. Baicheng and Songyuan in western Jilin are home to multi-million-kilowatt clean energy bases with abundant wind and solar power, providing exceptional conditions for green hydrogen production. Building on these resource advantages, Jilin has moved beyond fragmented single-point development thinking, promoting differentiated positioning and coordinated linkage among Changchun, Siping, Songyuan, and Baicheng to establish a well-structured green hydrogen-based industrial foundation with clear division of responsibilities.

Leveraging their wind and solar resource advantages, Baicheng and Songyuan have become the primary battlefields for large-scale production of green hydrogen, green ammonia, and green methanol, where renewable electricity is continuously converted into green fuels. Siping is accelerating the development of zero-carbon industrial parks, taking on the crucial functions of on-site green hydrogen conversion and industrial scenario demonstration, effectively bridging the intermediate stages between green hydrogen production and practical application. Changchun, relying on its strong equipment manufacturing capabilities and scientific research resources, is focusing on the research, development, and manufacturing of hydrogen energy equipment while creating demonstration application scenarios. Each region has its own focus, yet all four cities operate as one coordinated unit, with resources, industries, and application scenarios supporting one another to build a complete framework for large-scale hydrogen industry development.

Through years of dedicated effort, Jilin's hydrogen energy industry has achieved a series of substantial results. Currently, the province's annual green hydrogen production capacity has reached 90,000 tons, with combined green ammonia and green methanol capacity of 430,000 tons per year, placing its production capacity at the forefront nationally. A number of benchmark projects continue to set new industry records: the SPIC Daan green hydrogen-to-ammonia integrated project has obtained the world's first green ammonia certificate while establishing five global firsts; the Shanghai Electric Taonan project has produced the nation's first batch of large-scale green hydrogen coupled with biomass green methanol, achieving five national firsts; and CRRC Changchun has developed the "Hydrogen Spring" and "Hydrogen Source" trains, the country's first hydrogen-powered cultural tourism trains, which have successively rolled off the production line. From green electricity-based hydrogen production, to hydrogen chemical processing, to hydrogen equipment manufacturing, a complete hydrogen industry chain has taken shape on the black soil, laying a solid practical foundation for this national pilot program.

The Northeast (including eastern Inner Mongolia) to Yangtze River Delta hydrogen energy pilot city cluster targets a key practical challenge facing China's hydrogen energy development: the significant distance between hydrogen resource-rich regions and consumer markets. The core mission of this pilot program is to establish a major cross-regional channel for green fuel circulation. As the resource supply end of the pilot city cluster, the Jilin section primarily undertakes the task of large-scale green hydrogen production and export of green liquid fuels such as green ammonia and green methanol. The green fuels produced on the black soil will travel across mountains and seas to connect with the Yangtze River Delta market, serving the region's practical needs for industrial carbon reduction and shipping low-carbon transformation. Beyond simple product export, Jilin will also actively explore cross-regional green fuel trading mechanisms, promote joint technological research between the north and south, and establish a coordinated chain connecting resource production areas with consumer markets, allowing Jilin's green strength to serve the national "dual carbon" strategy.

The establishment of this national-level pilot program has accelerated Jilin's hydrogen energy industry development and outlined a blueprint for the future. Seizing the four-year pilot construction opportunity, Jilin will focus on the coordinated development of its four cities, deeply integrate into the cross-regional pilot city cluster construction, promote the upgrading of the entire "green hydrogen+" industry chain, and strive toward the goal of becoming the world's largest green liquid fuel supply base. Sun Yiming, a member of the Party Leadership Group of the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, stated that looking toward the "15th Five-Year Plan" period, Jilin Province plans to add 10 million kilowatts of new energy capacity each year, continuously expanding its wind and solar energy base, while deepening strategic cooperation with major central enterprises and industry leaders to ensure pilot tasks are implemented effectively. While strengthening leading industries such as green hydrogen production and green liquid fuels, the province will continue to expand diverse demonstration scenarios in industry, transportation, and energy storage, improve cross-regional coordination mechanisms, and summarize and export replicable Jilin hydrogen energy experience.

The wind rises over Songliao, and hydrogen points toward the future. From wind and solar resources to green fuels, from project breakthroughs to national pilot status, Jilin is using the hydrogen energy industry as a driving force to write a new chapter in the green transformation and comprehensive revitalization of this old industrial base.