EqualOcean reports that Zhongkeqingneng(中科清能) has successfully completed a Pre-A+ financing round, raising over CNY 150 million, with China Renaissance(华兴资本) serving as the financial advisor.
Founded in June 2022, Zhongkeqingneng focuses on cryogenic technology research, equipment manufacturing, and green hydrogen supply. The company has developed a hydrogen liquefaction unit with a capacity of 1 ton per day and has won the first domestic hydrogen liquefaction equipment procurement order in China's aerospace sector.
Zhongkeqingneng was established through a collaboration between Guoyu Capital(国裕高华), China General Nuclear Power Group (中广核集团), and the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences(中科院等离子所) in 2022. The company, headquartered in Gongyi City, specializes in the research, production, and demonstration projects for liquid hydrogen equipment, with a primary focus on hydrogen liquefaction projects.
The 1-ton per day hydrogen liquefaction unit developed by Zhongkeqingneng has received unanimous recognition from industry experts. The company secured the procurement order for the first domestically produced hydrogen liquefaction equipment for the Hainan Wenchang Launch Site, marking Zhongkeqingneng as the first company in China to provide domestically produced hydrogen liquefaction equipment for the aerospace sector.
China's renewable energy hydrogen production capacity is mainly concentrated in the "Three North" areas, while the primary consumption market for hydrogen is inland. Thus, long-distance storage and transportation of hydrogen are critical components of the hydrogen energy industry. As carbon neutrality drives the energy transition, hydrogen is hailed as the "ultimate energy" of the 21st century and is expected to become a CNY trillion blue ocean market. With its clean, low-carbon, high energy value, diverse sources, and flexible storage and transportation, hydrogen energy is a crucial pathway for China to achieve its "dual carbon" goals.
According to EqualOcean, the Chinese government has been highly supportive of hydrogen energy development. Since 2021, numerous supportive policies have been introduced, and the industry is expected to experience rapid growth. By 2050, the market size for the hydrogen supply sector in China is projected to reach CNY 1.3 trillion, and the hydrogen production sector is also anticipated to see substantial growth, presenting new opportunities for the hydrogen industry.
In November this year, Zhongkeqingneng plans to release a 5-ton per day hydrogen liquefaction unit. The company has already started developing a large-scale hydrogen liquefaction unit with a capacity of 35 tons per day. The feasibility study report is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year, and the first 35-ton per day unit is anticipated to be developed and released by 2026. This will be the first high-tech hydrogen liquefaction equipment in Henan Province, filling a gap in the province's hydrogen liquefaction technology and equipment, and is expected to significantly enhance the value of by-product hydrogen resources within the province.