The world’s first ever co-firing of 50% green hydrogen and 50% coal has been successfully completed by Longyuan Technology, a subsidiary of state-owned China Energy.
The breakthrough results in a staggering 50 percent reduction in both carbon emissions and coal consumption, coupled with highly effective synergistic nitrogen emission reductions, setting a new technical benchmark for clean power generation worldwide, according to China Energy.
This technological leap relies on a completely independently Chinese designed hydrogen – coal mixed combustion, and pioneers an effective pathway for massive carbon reductions in existing coal-fired units and stands as a significant milestone for the integration of coal power with renewable energy sources.
The successful testing of 50 percent green hydrogen co-firing and 100 percent pure hydrogen combustion in a coal-fired boiler was a world-first breakthrough by China that propels the nation to the forefront of zero-carbon fuel substitution and offers a critical pathway towards carbonising its large traditional coal power sector.
The success of this trial hinges on a fully self-developed hydrogen-coal mixed low-nitrogen burner. Deployed on a 40-megawatt coal-fired boiler, the technology achieved a 50 percent heat-ratio hydrogen co-firing, said China Energy, the country’s largest coal-fired power generator by capacity.
Current wind and solar power are subject to weather fluctuations, the reliable peak use baseline generation capacity of traditional coal facilities are temporarily irreplaceable for China’s national energy security. This reality makes the low-carbon transformation of coal power exceptionally urgent.
Low-carbon retrofitting is no longer an elective course for coal power enterprises, but a mandatory one, said Chen Zongfa of the China Electricity Council Expert Group. While acknowledging that green hydrogen co-firing currently faces high short-term costs and relies heavily on regions with abundant renewable resources and stable green ammonia supplies, Chen said targeted investment and technological innovation will lead to widespread application in the mid-to-long term.
The thermal power sector stands at a critical transition point where during the renewable energy transition, hydrogen co-firing thermal power represents a strategic bridge technology that maximizes existing infrastructure value while creating pathways toward complete decarbonization as hydrogen supply scales and technology matures.
Sources:
China Daily, June 10, 2026. https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202606/10/WS6a28c2bba310d6866eb4d657.html
Seetao, June 9, 2026. https://www.seetaoe.com/details/267644.html
PowerGen Advancement, accessed June 10, 2026. https://www.powergenadvancement.com/operations-maintenance/hydrogen-co-firing-in-thermal-power-path-to-decarbonization/
