China's first port-based hydrogen refueling station started operation at Qingdao Port, a subsidiary of Shandong Port Group, in east China's Shandong Province on June 16.

Charging like a car at a petrol station, the station can be used to charge two hydrogen vehicles at the same time, meeting the demand for vehicle hydrogenation in Qingdao Port.

The station has two phases and was designed for a daily hydrogen supply capacity of 1,000 kilograms, serving 50 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles every day, Song Xue, a manager in charge of energy supply at Qingdao Port, told China Daily in an interview.

"The carbon-free hydrogen will help ports achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals in future operations," said Song.

Shandong Port Group plans to build three hydrogen refueling stations, a hydrogen-powered energy supply system and 10 hydrogen-powered gantry cranes at the port areas in three to four years, and add 600 hydrogen-powered vehicles, according to a report from China Daily.

China has made a breakthrough in hydrogen refueling and has built more than 250 hydrogen refueling stations, accounting for about 40 percent of the world's total, ranking first in the number of hydrogen refueling stations in the world, said Liu Yafang, deputy director of the Department of Science and Technology of the National Energy Administration (NEA), at a conference in April.

There has been great enthusiasm in China for the development of the hydrogen energy industry, with three major regions of the Yangtze River Delta, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Bohai Economic Rim showing a cluster development trend, Liu added.