Recently, Henan Zhongke Qingneng Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter known as “Zhongke Qingneng”) has accomplished almost 500 million yuan in Pre – A++ spherical financing, which is the most important financing in the cryogenic monitor lately.
The main traders in this spherical embody the properly – identified establishment Dinghui Baifu, the “national team” Guoxin Fund, Kunpeng Capital below the Shenzhen State – owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and NIO Capital in the economic funding area. In addition, Hetang Venture Capital with Tsinghua University background and the previous shareholder CGN Capital additionally participated.
This firm, which has caught the attention of main establishments with completely different backgrounds, is certainly particular. The controlling shareholder of Zhongke Qingneng is an fairness fund (Henan Egret Hydrogen Technology Equity Investment Fund Partnership), primarily funded by CGN Capital and Henan Aerospace Industry Fund. CGN Capital is an funding platform below the large central enterprise CGN Group, whereas Henan Aerospace Industry Fund is supported by state – owned belongings on the provincial, municipal, and district ranges in Henan Province.
In 2022, the 2 events, along with industrial chain companions such because the Energy Research Institute of Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center and Shanghai Ke’an Chuangneng Technology Co., Ltd., collectively initiated the institution of Zhongke Qingneng.
It will be mentioned that this can be a mission collectively incubated by the “nuclear power – affiliated” state – owned belongings and Henan state – owned belongings.
According to the reporter from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily, the corporate’s core know-how system is derived from the years of accumulation of the Hefei Institute of Chinese Academy of Sciences in the sector of cryogenic know-how for magnetic confinement fusion. CEO Pan Weiwei as soon as served because the director of the CGN Research Institute, and lots of core members have been deeply concerned in main fusion tasks akin to EAST, CRAFT, and ITER, with wealthy expertise in cryogenic system design, engineering supply, and lengthy – time period operation and upkeep.
Notably, in the previous six months, controllable nuclear fusion has change into a scorching spot for financing in the first market. At the start of 2026, Star Ring Fusion introduced the completion of 1 billion yuan in Series A financing, breaking the report for a single – spherical financing of home personal fusion enterprises. In addition, firms akin to Shuyanjuchuang, Dongsheng Fusion, and Supermagnetic New Energy have additionally lately accomplished a brand new spherical of financing.
The space that Zhongke Qingneng focuses on is intently associated to the fusion business. The firm focuses on cryogenic know-how under 20K (about minus 253 levels Celsius) and primarily operates three varieties of gear: hydrogen liquefaction, helium liquefaction, and cryogenic sensing programs. This is the indispensable “infrastructure” for the 2 present strategic tracks – controllable nuclear fusion and inexperienced hydrogen vitality.
In controllable nuclear fusion gadgets, akin to tokamak gadgets, utilizing magnetic fields to restrict excessive – temperature plasma is without doubt one of the key applied sciences. High – temperature plasma has extraordinarily excessive vitality. Without magnetic area confinement, the plasma will rapidly diffuse, and the nuclear fusion response can not proceed stably and constantly. Only by cooling the superconducting magnet under its crucial temperature to keep up the superconducting state can the superconducting magnet stably generate a robust magnetic area.
The reporter from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily discovered from Zhongke Qingneng that it has continued the helium cryogenic refrigeration know-how route of the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ EAST. The [email protected] helium fridge delivered final 12 months has been utilized to the important thing core system of the CRAFT massive – scale scientific gadget and is at the moment the helium fridge with the most important cooling energy in use in the sector of nuclear fusion in China.
It is reported that CRAFT (“Kuafu”), formally generally known as the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology, is a big – scale scientific gadget prioritized in China’s “13th Five – Year Plan for the Construction of National Major Scientific and Technological Infrastructures” and is at the moment below building in Hefei. After completion, it can change into probably the most superior and totally – purposeful complete analysis and testing platform in the worldwide fusion area.
Next, Zhongke Qingneng will promote the implementation of a [email protected] helium fridge, which would be the world’s largest single – unit helium refrigeration gear. It is anticipated that the gear might be launched and launched in 2026.
Zhongke Qingneng mentioned that it has began discussions with key clients of cryogenic key gear in the hydrogen vitality and fusion fields. As of January this 12 months, the corporate has signed contracts price over 100 million yuan.
“The nuclear fusion industry chain is very long. Currently, the investment hot spots are spreading from private fusion companies to the supply of core components and subsystems in the middle reaches.” An investor who has invested in a nuclear fusion fund advised the reporter from Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily, “Systems such as cryogenic systems, magnet systems, and vacuum systems are crucial for the stable operation of future fusion reactors and are also the areas most likely to achieve commercial value first. At the same time, the emergence of large – scale orders in these areas is also an important signal of maturity.”
The nuclear fusion monitor naturally has excessive technical thresholds and difficulties in commercialization. Therefore, groups that may remodel laboratory know-how into industrial purposes are scarce, he mentioned.
In the sector of hydrogen vitality, Zhongke Qingneng can be making speedy industrialization progress. Its 1 – ton – per – day hydrogen liquefaction gear efficiently offered totally home liquid hydrogen gasoline for the launch of the “Long March 8” rocket in March 2025, which is the primary time in China’s aerospace historical past that totally home liquid hydrogen gasoline has been used.
In addition, Zhongke Qingneng’s 5 – ton – per – day hydrogen liquefaction gear has been efficiently developed, launched, and contracted. The liquid hydrogen plant is anticipated to be put into business operation in September 2026, which might be China’s first 5 – ton – per – day business liquid hydrogen plant. The 35 – ton – per – day hydrogen liquefaction gear below analysis and growth is anticipated to change into the world’s high – producing single – unit product, and it has already obtained 9 binding international orders in advance.
According to the corporate’s plan, the almost 500 million yuan in financing in this spherical might be primarily used to help a number of key growth duties, together with the analysis and growth of bigger – scale liquid hydrogen programs and nuclear fusion refrigeration programs, the event of the third – technology quantum cryogenic sensing system, the engineering supply of key refrigeration programs for a number of massive – scale scientific gadgets in China, and the development of the second – section manufacturing middle, systematically strengthening its technological boundaries and increasing manufacturing capability.
This article is from the WeChat official account “Venture Capital Daily”, creator: Yu Shiqi, printed by 36Kr with authorization.