Stable investment accelerated efforts to start a number of major hydrogen energy and UHV projects

China Energy Storage Network: Since March, many places have continued to work hard to stabilize investment and have started a number of major projects intensively, among which hydrogen energy and ultra-high voltage projects have become highlights. Experts believe that the accelerated construction of major projects has laid a solid foundation for this year's economic development.

Zhang Yiqun, deputy chairman of the Performance Management Committee of the Chinese Society of Finance, told the Securities Daily reporter that since the beginning of this year, my country has stepped up efforts to accelerate the construction of major projects, showing three obvious characteristics: First, it emphasizes the word "early", achieving early preparation, early financing, early investment, early construction, and early results of investment projects, and implementing overall investment advances to provide strong support for stabilizing China's economic fundamentals; second, it emphasizes the word "fast", and the pace of investment projects has been significantly accelerated, and the contribution of investment to the economy has been significantly improved; third, it emphasizes the word "new", empowering the transformation of traditional infrastructure construction projects, and constantly enriching the new connotations of digitalization, networking, and intelligence of infrastructure.

As an important support for expanding effective investment, many places have been working hard on the construction of major projects since March. On March 23, the first batch of major projects in Qinghai Province were concentratedly started and resumed. It is reported that 1,184 major projects were started and resumed, involving comprehensive transportation, clean energy, industrial transformation and upgrading and other fields, with an estimated total investment of more than 580 billion yuan, an annual plan of 96 billion yuan, and a plan of nearly 20 billion yuan in the first quarter.

In addition, a number of major projects have been launched in many places, including Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Deyang City, Sichuan Province, Jiuquan City, Gansu Province, etc., covering infrastructure, intelligent manufacturing, new energy, new infrastructure and other fields. For example, among the projects launched in Qinghai Province, China General Nuclear Power Group Delingha 2 million kilowatt solar thermal storage integrated project is the solar thermal storage multi-energy complementary project with the highest energy storage ratio in China; on March 18, Ningxia launched 1,076 major projects with a total investment of 504.2 billion yuan, of which the largest project is Baofeng 200GWh lithium-ion energy storage full industry project with a total investment of 69.2 billion yuan and a construction period of 15 months. After completion, it will become the largest new energy storage battery manufacturing base in China, with an annual output value of about 370 billion yuan; on March 22, Deyang City launched a total of 62 projects with a total investment of 45.52 billion yuan, of which the Deyang Chuanfa Longmang lithium battery new energy material base project has a total investment of 12 billion yuan, setting a new record for the investment amount of a single project in Deyang.

The reporter noticed that a number of hydrogen energy projects have been accelerated. For example, on March 14, the foundation stone of the Guofu Hydrogen Energy Equipment Industrial Base (Phase III), a major new energy project in Jiangsu Province in 2022, was laid, with a total investment of 1.5 billion yuan; on March 15, the State Power Investment Corporation Yellow River Basin Hydrogen Energy Industrial Base Project started construction in the starting area of ​​the old and new kinetic energy conversion in Jinan, Shandong, with a total investment of 10 billion yuan and an investment of 4 billion yuan in the first phase. It will carry out research and development of fuel cells and key materials, create a national hydrogen energy innovation platform, build a fuel cell equipment manufacturing base, and promote the comprehensive application of hydrogen energy in transportation, energy supply and other fields.

"In March, a number of major new energy projects were launched in many parts of my country, marking a new major development opportunity for green energy represented mainly by hydrogen energy. It also provided important industrial support for my country to adjust its energy structure, promote energy transformation, protect energy security, achieve green and low-carbon development, and build a new energy development pattern." Zhang Yiqun said.

Major projects related to the new infrastructure are also being accelerated. For example, on March 24, the construction of the Fuzhou-Xiamen and Zhumadian-Wuhan 1,000 kV UHV AC projects started. The two projects have a total investment of 10.9 billion yuan and are scheduled to be completed and put into operation in 2023. The two power arteries will inject stronger momentum into stabilizing growth, adjusting the structure, and benefiting people's livelihood.

Hou Xianping, senior investment consultant of Jufeng Investment Consulting, told the Securities Daily reporter that these major projects not only involve traditional infrastructure, but also new infrastructure industry chains such as ultra-high voltage and energy storage have also ushered in good development opportunities. This is also an important move to achieve the "dual carbon" goals and green transformation and development of energy, and will play a positive role in promoting stable economic growth.

Driven by major projects, investment continued to grow steadily. According to the data from the National Bureau of Statistics, investment in large projects has increased significantly. In the first two months of this year, the investment in large projects with a planned total investment of RMB 100 million or more increased by 15.8%, contributing nearly 60% to the total investment. Investment in infrastructure and people's livelihood has increased, and various regions have carried out infrastructure investment in a moderately advanced manner. Actively promote investment and construction of key water conservancy projects, comprehensive three-dimensional transportation networks, important energy bases and facilities. Infrastructure investment in the first two months increased by 8.1% year-on-year, 7.7 percentage points faster than the previous year.

"This year, we will moderately advance infrastructure investment, and the construction of major projects will become one of the main driving forces for economic growth." Zhang Yiqun said that it is necessary to further increase investment in major projects, focus on improving infrastructure functions, strengthening economic support capabilities, and filling in the gaps in national economy and people's livelihood, and focus on promoting infrastructure construction in water conservancy, transportation, agriculture, energy and other fields, and continuously enhance the supporting role for sustainable economic development, so as to "build a solid foundation, consolidate the foundation, and support the bottom line", and use the unchanging economic development determination to resist complex and changeable external influences and shocks.