Asia should explore the creation of A regional sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production hub should be created in Asia that would cater the need of the region, said Paul Chan Mo-po, Financial Secretary, Hong Kong, at the World Economic Forum in Davos reports gasworld.
Speaking during a finance and decarbonisation discussion, Chan said Hong Kong’s limited size makes it difficult to host large SAF facilities on its own. However, he said the city could take part through joint investments in neighbouring parts of China to help make such projects commercially viable.
Chan’s comments reflect Hong Kong’s constraints in terms of land availability, access to feedstock and renewable energy, as well as the lack of large refining infrastructure. He added that Hong Kong, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and cut emissions by 50% from 2005 levels by 2035, is also looking to expand the use of hydrogen in road transport.
He said the government is testing whether hydrogen-powered transport can work on a commercial basis and has provided financial support to a bus operator to purchase hydrogen vehicles and carry out trials.
The Environment and Ecology Bureau said its hydrogen fuel working group has given preliminary approval to eight projects, bringing the total number of hydrogen energy trial proposals last year to 26. Among them are two projects involving hydrogen-powered trucks for cross-border transport, three focused on hydrogen fuel cell buses for passenger services, and three that plan to use hydrogen to support electric vehicle charging.
Separately, plans announced last September include developing an SAF platform in Hong Kong and the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area. Cathay Pacific has said it aims to use SAF on 10% of its flights starting in 2030.
