Re‐Evaluating the Cross‐Province Energy Allocation Path for Electro‐Hydrogen Synergy in the ‘15th Five‐Year Plan’ Period

ABSTRACT During China's 15th Five‐Year Plan period, electro‐hydrogen synergy is evolving from isolated project demonstration towards a broader rethinking of cross‐regional energy allocation. Against the backdrop of market‐oriented electricity pricing reform and the improvement of local renewable energy consumption mechanisms, long‐distance allocation of renewable electricity through the power grid is facing rising institutional costs, network costs and capacity constraints. At the same time, the rapid growth of renewable hydrogen, green ammonia and green methanol projects suggests that water electrolysis should be understood not merely as a terminal electricity load but as a key interface linking the renewable power system with a hydrogen‐based energy supply chain. For large‐scale energy transfer between inland renewable resource bases and coastal demand centres, sole reliance on grid‐based electricity transmission is increasingly insufficient, whereas hydrogen‐based supply chains using carriers offer greater flexibility for storage, transport and cross‐cycle allocation. These two pathways should be understood as complementary: power grids remain essential for real‐time dispatch and balancing, whereas hydrogen‐based carriers are more suitable for long‐distance and cross‐cycle energy transfer. From this perspective, the main direction of electro‐hydrogen development in China is shifting from grid‐connected hydrogen production towards a broader electro‐hydrogen synergy framework centred on hydrogen‐based energy supply chains.