The Hong Kong and China Gas Company (Towngas) and Veolia will develop a new low-carbon hydrogen project in Hong Kong’s in response to the government’s hydrogen development strategy.
Located at a landfill site, the project aims to convert waste to energy by using biogas to produce the clean hydrogen. According to a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the partners, Towngas and Veolia will collect biogas from the landfill and convert it into hydrogen with steam methane reforming technology.
The hydrogen is considered low-carbon because the biogas is produced from the breakdown of organic matter at the South East New Territories Landfill Extension (SENTX) in Tseung Kwan O.
Once developed, the project is expected to produce around 330kg of hydrogen per day – enough to power seven to right hydrogen buses for a full day.
News of the project aligns with the HKSAR Government’s Strategy of Hydrogen Development in Hong Kong. Released in 2021, the document outlines Hong Kong’s target to halve carbon emissions from 2005 levels by 2035 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
“Looking ahead, the Government will continue to support and encourage the industry to explore more diverse hydrogen energy trials and collaborative projects,” said Tse Chin-wan, Secretary for Environment and Ecology.
Once the project gains traction, it can be uused as a template for other landfills, according to Peter Wong Wai-yee, who revealed that half of the gas produced by Towngas is composed of hydrogen.
“With over 160 years of experience and a 3,700 km pipeline network, Towngas has the infrastructure advantage for hydrogen transmission and supply, and therefore can provide ‘green’ hydrogen to millions of households in Hong Kong.”
Mainly focusing on using organic waste from sources such as food waste, agricultural residues and sewage, Hong Kong’s biogas sector contributes a relatively small share of its renewable energy mix.
For example, renewable energy accounted for only 0.6% of Hong Kong’s electricity production in 2021, with biogas being a part of this segment.
Waste-to-energy technology generates the majority of local renewable energy via the T-Park sludge treatment plant, the O-Park organic waste processing facility and captured landfill gas.
The government also commissioned a second organic resources recovery centre and an incineration facility which were given an initial opening date of 2022 and 2023, raising Hong Kong’s WTE capacity to 0.515 terawatt hours and meeting 1.1% of its electricity demand.
