SHANGHAI  - China's Shanghai Futures Exchange said on Tuesday it is planning to launch futures trading for cobalt, hydrogen and ammonia, products in line with the country's "green and low-carbon transformation" goals.

The bourse is also accelerating the listing of natural gas futures and options, it said in an article published on Tuesday, citing the exchange's chief executive, Wang Fenghai.

The exchange, however, did not provide a timeline for launching the contracts.

Natural gas and hydrogen have been touted as cleaner options versus energy sources like coal, while cobalt is needed in batteries used to power electric vehicles.

The Shanghai exchange will also cooperate with other institutions to explore the integration of "carbon emission peak and carbon neutrality" and environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals into the futures market.

China, the world's biggest emitter of climate warming gases, aims to bring its carbon emissions to a peak by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060. 

The Shanghai International Energy Exchange, a unit under the Shanghai Futures Exchange, said earlier this month that it is looking to launch a freight index futures contract this year. 

(Reporting by Emily Chow; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.) ((emily.chow@thomsonreuters.com; +862120830020; Reuters Messaging: emily.chow.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))