Introduction  The purpose of this paper is to research and analyze the influence of water resources on the development of the green hydrogen industry in China, reveal the contradiction between water resources and the development of green hydrogen industry, analyze the future development trend of the green hydrogen industry and to provide useful reference for the development layout of renewable energy hydrogen production projects in China.

  Method  In order to prove that water resources could limit the development of the green hydrogen industry in "Northeast China, North China, Northwest China" and other areas, the analysis and the demonstration were made based on the field investigations and the documentary materials, considering water resources policies, water usage in traditional chemical industries, and hydrogen production technologies.

  Result  The analysis results show that under the restriction of China's water resources-related policies, the layout of green hydrogen industry should consider the constraints of water resources, and the large-scale production of green hydrogen and its substitution for fossil energy hydrogen production cannot effectively save water. Instead, it may lead to an increase in water consumption by the chemical industry. Under the constraint of water resources, the development of China's green hydrogen industry must consider the layout from a holistic perspective, fully integrate the development trend of the existing chemical industry, and consider the abundant resources available such as seawater.

  Conclusion  The development of the green hydrogen industry in China should not ignore the problems of existing policy framework, technology level, industrial layout and characteristics of existing resources. When arranging the layout of the green hydrogen projects, the current situation and future trends should be fully considered, and the problems posed by water resources on the green hydrogen industry should be solved from the perspective of the overall planning, the coordinated industrial development and the effective utilization of resources.