PR100398

YICHANG, China, Oct. 12, 2023 /Xinhua/--

The "Three Gorges Hydrogen Boat No. 1", China's first hydrogen-powered ship,

made its maiden voyage in Yichang City in central China's Hubei Province on

Wednesday morning, marking a breakthrough in the country's application of

hydrogen fuel cell technology in inland waterway vessels.

The vessel has a steel-aluminum composite structure with a total length of 49.9

meters, a beam of 10.4 meters, and a draft of 3.2 meters. Powered by a 500 kW

hydrogen fuel cell, the ship has a maximum cruise range of 200 kilometers.

After delivery, it is used for transportation, patrol and emergency response in

the Three Gorges reservoir area and between the Three Gorges-Gezhouba dams.

The ship is jointly developed by companies like China State Shipbuilding

Corporation, China Yangtze Power Corporation and Jianglong Shipbuilding, and

institutions like Wuhan Changjiang Ship Design Institute and the Three Gorges

Navigation Authority. It's also the first hydrogen-powered boat certified by

the China Classification Society.

In recent years, the application of new energy power propulsion technology has

become a key focus for developing green ships. Hydrogen energy is

pollution-free, renewable and highly efficient, and hydrogen fuel cells can

boost energy efficiency, achieve zero emissions and improve cruise comfort,

making them ideal power propulsion devices for green ships.

Compared with traditional fuel-powered ships, the hydrogen-powered vessel is

expected to replace 103.16 tons of fuel oil and reduce carbon dioxide emissions

by 343.67 tons each year.

The vessel can have energy supplied at the green electricity and green hydrogen

demonstration station of the Three Gorges located at the Yangjia Bay in the

lower reaches of the gorges.

As China's first inland dock-type hydrogen production and refueling station, it

uses the clean electric energy generated by the Three Gorges power station to

electrolyze water to produce hydrogen, which will be directly supplied to

hydrogen-powered ships after compression, storage and filling. The station can

supply 240 kilograms of hydrogen per hour.

Meanwhile, the 2023 China (Yichang) Green Energy Development Conference was

held from October 10 to 12 in Yichang, which is home to the country's mega

Three Gorges hydro-power project, rich in green energy resources and enjoys

great development potential and strong growth momentum in the field, according

to Yichang Three Gorges International Communication Studio.

In a bid to further promote clean energy cooperation and build a shared

exchange platform among governments, enterprises and experts, the conference is

expected to boost the development of wind energy, solar energy, hydropower,

energy storage and hydrogen power, as well as the integrated development of the

supply, transmission, consumption and storage of energy.

The conference will provide strong support for promoting the green energy

industry's high-quality development in Hubei and other provincial-level regions

along the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the rest of the country, contributing

to the building of an ecologically beautiful China.

Source: Yichang Three Gorges International Communication Studio

Image Attachments Links:

   Link: https://iop.asianetnews.net/view-attachment?attach-id=442621

   Caption: The "Three Gorges Hydrogen Boat No. 1" is cruising on the Yangtze River.