The Workshop on Hydrogen for Land Transport of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Energy Working Group was held in Hong Kong today, where over 40 experts and delegates from 10 APEC member economies gathered to explore strategies on the application of green and low-carbon hydrogen in land transport.

In a video welcoming speech, Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan highlighted that climate change is one of the greatest challenges of this era, and underscored Hong Kong’s commitment to four decarbonisation strategies under its Climate Action Plan 2050, with a view to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The four strategies are net-zero electricity generation, energy saving and green buildings, green transport, and waste reduction, Mr Tse added.

The environment chief said that apart from electric vehicles, hydrogen is a possible alternative for green transportation, particularly for heavy-duty and long-range transport applications.

The Government has set out the Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong with a view to creating a local environment conducive to developing hydrogen energy in a prudent and orderly manner.

In order to remove barriers and facilitate commencement of local hydrogen applications, Mr Tse noted, the Government set up the Inter-departmental Working Group on Using Hydrogen as Fuel to introduce interim standards for hydrogen applications, and support pilot projects such as hydrogen fuel cell buses, street-washing vehicles and cross-boundary hydrogen transportation.

He also mentioned that Hong Kong is well positioned to serve as a hub for hydrogen technologies, green finance and professional services, while reiterating Hong Kong’s support for APEC’s shared vision of clean energy transition and sustainable growth.