Sinohytec Company, BP and Tsinghua Tongfang Company cooperate to construct the Beijing hydrogen refueling station of GEF-UNDP China Demonstration for Fuel Cell Bus Commercialization. By June 2005, a significant number of activities of the project preparation has been conducted, involving feasibility research, location choose, land approval, project initiation etc.

    Beijing Demonstration Park of Hydrogen Transportation project started in 2004, locating at Yongfeng High-Tech Parks and covering an area of 1.3 Hectare. It is 15km away from the proposed Olympic Park. The project consists of there parts: the equipment of hydrogen filling, new energy and energy efficiency building, workshop for FCB. A consulting meeting of hydrogen refueling station was convened on 22 July 2004. Regarding the hydrogen refueling station construction without worldwide-accepted codes, the officials from relevant municipal departments and experts suggested that Chinese design codes for hydrogen and oxygen station GB50177-93 could be considered as a reference standard. The 2nd coordination meeting of Beijing project was held on 27 July 2004, Sinohytec Company, BP and Tsinghua Tongfang Company would prepare a draft of framework agreement and statement of requirements for a tri-partite agreement. A living executive meeting of Beijing hydrogen filling station in Haitian District was held on 9 November 2004. The green channel for this project was proposed on this meeting.

    As the owner, Sinohytec company had right of land use on 25 March 2005. The tri-partite agreement was finally signed among Sinohytec company, BP and Tongfang company in April 2005. Beijing chief executive meeting was convened on 20 May concerning to improve the project implementation in municipal level. This meeting achieved prospective results. Until now, environmental Impact Assessment Report was completed on 30 April. The project registration permit was granted by Beijing Development and Reform Committee on 30 May. The suggestion of planning was got from Municipal Commission of Urban Planning on 7 June. According to the chief executive meeting discussion, immediate task is to install equipment of hydrogen filling and workshop (the project part I) for insurance hydrogen filling for FCB in October.

    “A consulting and demonstrating meeting of experts about fire protection security of hydrogen refueling station and workshop in Beijing Hydrogen Park” was held on 21 June 2005, organizing by Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning and Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. Experts mission reviewed the initial design specification, fire protection design graph paper and relevant material. After listening carefully the design presentation and description, the experts mission discussed and answered related questions. Fire protection design of the project was agreed to be reasonable and feasible, thus the schedule could be kept. Regarding without domestic and international regulation and standards, the experts mission suggested that the considerable method was to design hydrogen refueling station and workshop according on the relevant national standards and regulations.

    Some constraints had negative influence on project implementation on some extent, such as long and complex approval procedure, without technological standards and codes of hydrogen refueling station installation etc. Therefore, how to guarantee the station construction on due time is the main risk and difficultness. Corresponding to work in practice, Sinohytec company and BP expect to finish the project part I in October 2005.

    MOST and Beijing government pay more attention on the project. Good communication and information sharing within the team are of considerable assistance to the project implementation.