Following a multi-plan coordination review, the Mafang project in Pinggu District has been approved for planning, moving the first integrated hydrogen production and refuelling station of Beijing one step closer to construction.
The project will transform the old Mafang compressed natural gas – CNG mother station with a total capital investment of about RMB 74.62 million, or approximately US$10.4 million. Upon completion, it is anticipated to help alleviate the lack of hydrogen supply in eastern Beijing and promote the city’s endeavours to build a modern industrial system and realise its carbon peaking targets and carbon neutrality objectives.
Enhancing Regional Energy Safety
The expansion of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and the upgrades of energy supply infrastructure are important actions to establish the hydrogen sector and boost its wide commercialisation as China presses on with its low-carbon shift.
In October 2023, concerned Beijing municipal authorities started evaluating potential sites when it came to offering hydrogen supply infrastructure, targeting areas surrounding the airports, Sixth Ring Road, logistics bases, wholesale markets, and freight hubs.
Mafang Town, which is an important logistics centre in the capital, serves a significant part in guaranteeing the supply of everyday necessities and dependable industrial and supply chains. The area’s logistics-associated demand for hydrogen and the potential to repurpose the old CNG mother station site made it top of the list for the city’s hydrogen infrastructure development.
Once up and running, the new facility is anticipated to help alleviate the scarcity of high-purity hydrogen in eastern Beijing and guarantee a stable, low-carbon hydrogen supply as far as public transport, heavy-duty logistics vehicles and industrial users are concerned.
Leveraging Existing Land for More Clean Energy Capacity
The project site is the former location of the Mafang CNG mother station, which started operation in 2010. The site had been mostly unoccupied for over a decade due to shifts in the mix of energy and market demand, ageing equipment and insufficient land-use and planning processes.
The project has carried out structural and fire safety inspections in compliance with Beijing’s urban renewal guidelines and procedures for regularising public interest projects that involve unauthorised land use and construction before proceeding forward with the redevelopment process. It was a method of municipal-level guidance, district-level authorisation, risk reduction, and integration of the project into standardised management practices.
The project will not involve the demolition and reconstruction of the whole facility but the elimination of the existing CNG facilities and reconstruction and modernisation of the site.
When up and running, the first integrated hydrogen production is expected to generate as much as 998.4 tonnes of hydrogen per year. The estimated price of hydrogen dispensed decreases from RMB 30/kg to RMB 25/kg, and the yearly carbon emissions are estimated to be reduced by 8,809 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent.
The project will contribute substantial clean energy production potential with no need for additional land, using only 0.498 hectares of currently developed land. It is aimed at overcoming the limitations of new construction land and at the same time solving the persistent problem of the underuse of public utility facilities.
The project could be a model to be replicated to make more intensive and efficient utilisation of current land for public infrastructure.
Joint Approvals Speed Project Delivery
Projects with legacy land-use issues usually need coordination between multiple government departments and long approval processes. These obstacles can slow down construction and impose a heavier administrative load on developers.
In an effort to solve these problems, the Pinggu Branch of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources started a special project-management service in an initial phase, bringing together a combination of the project developer, the local government and appropriate regulatory bodies.
The process featured a simplified method of online handling, a single application form and concurrent approvals. These included expert evaluations, safety rectifications, utility connections, road occupation and digging approvals, planning evaluations, design evaluations, and permits for planning.
This partnership helped bring the project schedule in almost 30% better than the initial schedule, which will help keep construction on schedule for its official launch in Q2 of 2027.
The Pinggu branch will keep trying to promote urban revitalisation, bring idle land into productive uses, fill in urban infrastructure gaps, and draw in industrial and service sector resources. These efforts are anticipated to bolster Beijing’s low-carbon transformation, enhance its advanced industrial system and foster superior regional growth.