China completes its largest integrated solar-hydrogen-storage project
CHN Energy completed its Rudong solar-hydrogen-storage project in Jiangsu on 10 June 2026, linking 400 MW of solar with battery storage and green hydrogen.
Illustrative image
China’s state-owned CHN Energy has finished building an integrated solar-hydrogen-storage project on the Jiangsu coast that combines a large solar plant, battery storage and green-hydrogen production on one site. The company said the Guohua Rudong project completed system-wide joint commissioning on 10 June 2026, with performance indicators meeting design specifications, according to coverage by pv magazine published on 15 June 2026. CHN Energy describes it as China’s largest integrated project of its kind; several trade outlets billed it as the world’s largest.
The plant sits in the Yudong reclaimed tidal-flat area near Yangkou Port, in Rudong county, Nantong. It is operated by the Jiangsu branch of Guohua Investment, a CHN Energy subsidiary, and forms part of one of China’s large-scale coastal renewable bases.
What the solar-hydrogen-storage project includes
The site couples four systems. A 400 MW coastal solar plant supplies power; a 60 MW/120 MWh battery stores it; a green-hydrogen unit with an electrolysis capacity of 1,500 normal cubic metres per hour (Nm³/h) converts surplus electricity into hydrogen; and a 220 kV shore-based substation exports power to the grid. The project also includes hydrogen refuelling capacity of 500 kg per day. CHN Energy expects the solar-hydrogen-storage plant to generate about 468 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity a year, which pv magazine reported is enough to meet the annual demand of nearly 200,000 households.
The solar-hydrogen-storage plant’s yearly output is reported differently across sources. pv magazine and the trade title Energy Storage state the unit is designed to produce 482 tonnes of high-purity green hydrogen a year. Interesting Engineering, drawing on Chinese state media, put the figure of the solar-hydrogen-storage plant at up to 180 tonnes a year. The underlying CHN Energy release is not quoted with a single tonnage figure in the coverage reviewed, so the design output is best read as the 482-tonne figure carried by the pv magazine reports, with the lower number reflecting a more conservative early-operation estimate.
| Component | Capacity / detail |
|---|---|
| Coastal solar PV | 400 MW |
| Battery energy storage | 60 MW / 120 MWh |
| Green-hydrogen electrolysis | 1,500 Nm³/h |
| Shore-based substation | 220 kV |
| Hydrogen refuelling | 500 kg/day |
| Expected annual output | ~468 GWh (about 200,000 households) |
| Designed green-hydrogen output | 482 t/yr (pv magazine); up to 180 t/yr (Interesting Engineering, citing state media) |
Source: pv magazine and Energy Storage (15 June 2026); CGTN (10 June 2026); Interesting Engineering (11 June 2026).
Why pairing solar, storage and hydrogen matters
Solar output rises and falls with the sun, so a plant that only exports electricity wastes power when generation outstrips demand. Pairing panels with a battery and an electrolyser lets the site shift energy in time and store it as hydrogen, a pattern that mirrors the logic of microgrids that combine solar, storage and fuel cells at smaller scale. The battery handles short-term swings; the electrolyser turns longer surpluses into hydrogen that can fuel vehicles or feed industry. That flexibility is one reason integrated renewable bases feature in plans for net-zero energy systems.
The solar-hydrogen-storage build also has a timeline worth noting. The 400 MW solar array reached full-capacity grid connection on 29 April 2025, and the integrated system completed commissioning on 10 June 2026. The hydrogen facility was still in the final stage of equipment commissioning when the completion was announced and is expected to begin operations in August 2026. The solar-hydrogen-storage project occupies about 2.9 square kilometres, alongside a broader Spartina alterniflora control and coastal wetland restoration program covering roughly 4.3 square kilometres. An earlier project disclosure, tied to the solar plant’s 2024 grid connection, put avoided carbon dioxide at about 309,400 tonnes a year (Global Hydrogen Review).
About CHN Energy
China Energy Investment Corporation (CHN Energy) is a state-owned energy group formed in 2017 through the merger of Shenhua Group and China Guodian Corporation. It is one of the world’s largest power producers and coal miners, and has expanded into wind, solar and hydrogen as China builds out large coastal and desert renewable bases.
The Rudong site has reached its milestones in stages: the offshore-style coastal solar array connected to the grid in 2024–2025, and the storage and hydrogen systems followed. The 10 June 2026 completion brings solar generation, battery storage, green-hydrogen production and grid export together on a single coastal site, with the hydrogen unit due to start operating later in 2026.
Sources: pv magazine; CGTN; Energy Storage (ESS News); Interesting Engineering
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I specialize in sustainability education, curriculum co-creation, and early-stage project strategy for schools and public bodies. Next to this I like a deep dive into educational gaming, and how finances influence our live. When I am not writing, I enjoy hiking in the Black Forest and experimenting with plant-based recipes.
