(MENAFN- EIN Presswire) EINPresswire/ -- Lightbridge has taken a significant step in its Asian expansion strategy by signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Zhonglei of China, aiming to jointly develop integrated hydrogen refueling solutions that connect water electrolysis directly to the vehicle nozzle.
The signing ceremony took place on November 14, 2025, at The Westin Seoul Parnass Sage Hall in Seoul, following the company's Global Partnership Forum 2025.
The agreement pairs Lightbridge's high-pressure, modular PEM electrolyser technology with Zhonglei's hydrogen compression, storage, and dispensing hardware portfolio, a Chinese manufacturer of hydrogen compressors, storage vessels, and dispensers.
Under the MOU, the two companies plan to:
.Co-develop integrated systems that combine water electrolysis, compression, storage, and dispensing into a single, pre-engineered solution.
.Pursue demonstration projects in Asian markets, leveraging each side's local partner networks and project pipelines.
.Explore a Korea–China joint hydrogen infrastructure model that can be replicated across the wider Asian region.
China has announced plans to build hundreds of hydrogen refueling stations by the mid-2020s, many operating at 70 MPa for fuel-cell vehicles. By combining Lightbridge's high-efficiency PEM stacks with Zhonglei's compression and dispensing equipment, the partners aim to offer turnkey refueling packages optimised for these high-pressure stations.
Industry observers note that the collaboration could shorten project lead times in East Asia by providing a validated, integrated system architecture rather than requiring bespoke engineering for each site. The approach is expected to reduce technical risk for project developers, while simplifying permitting, procurement, and operations.
"Our goal is to make it dramatically easier for project owners to deploy bankable hydrogen refueling stations," said Jong-hoon Kim, CEO of Lightbridge. "By working with Zhonglei, we can embed our high-pressure electrolysers inside integrated refueling solutions that are optimised for the realities of the Asian mobility market."
The MOU with Zhonglei was negotiated alongside broader discussions at the Lightbridge Global Partnership Forum 2025, which brought together partners from Korea, China, the Czech Republic, Saudi Arabia, and other countries to explore collaboration on electrolysers and hydrogen infrastructure. Topics at the forum included technical standardisation of electrolysis systems, commercial models for joint demonstration projects, and the role of integrated "electrolyser-to-nozzle" solutions in scaling up hydrogen mobility.
The rapid move from forum panel discussions to a signed agreement within a day has been interpreted by industry stakeholders as a sign of Lightbridge's execution capability and the maturity of its technology offering.
Looking ahead, Lightbridge plans to utilize the Zhonglei partnership as a cornerstone of an Asian hydrogen infrastructure platform, to link these projects to European reference sites as part of a broader Asia–Europe hydrogen corridor by 2026.

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