Landmark Move: China Officially Lists Hydrogen as a Primary Energy Category in New Energy Data Rules

BEIJING, June 30 — China has officially recognized hydrogen as a primary energy category in its national energy data classification system for the first time, marking another milestone in the country's efforts to strengthen hydrogen's role in the future energy mix.

The National Energy Administration (NEA) on June 30 released the Guidelines for Classification and Grading of Energy Industry Data (2026 Version), which took effect on July 1, 2026. The new rules establish a unified framework for classifying and grading non-confidential data across China's energy sector.

Under the Guidelines, energy industry data may be classified by energy varieties and energy activities. Among the primary categories of energy varieties, hydrogen is now listed alongside coal, petroleum, natural gas, nuclear energy, hydropower, wind power, solar energy, biomass energy, geothermal energy, marine energy and electricity.

The inclusion of hydrogen as a standalone primary category reflects its growing strategic importance in China's evolving energy system and provides further policy support for the development of the country's hydrogen industry.

The Guidelines also classify energy data by energy activities, with secondary categories covering planning, design, construction, production, storage and transportation, consumption, scientific research and other activities across the energy value chain. Data processors are permitted to establish tertiary and quaternary classifications based on the characteristics and specific content of their datasets.

To strengthen data security governance, the document stipulates that derivative data generated from important or core energy data through statistical analysis, correlation mapping, data mining, aggregation or other processing methods shall, in principle, retain the same security classification if the derivative data can restore or reconstruct the original important or core data.

The Guidelines further define power users as end consumers receiving electricity supplied by power supply enterprises, including individuals, businesses, public institutions and other organizations.

The release of the Guidelines represents another step in improving China's energy data governance framework while supporting the digital transformation of the energy sector. The formal recognition of hydrogen as a primary energy category also sends a strong policy signal of the fuel's expanding role in China's transition toward a cleaner and more diversified energy system.