Automotive giant Hyundai Motor Group is backing a joint effort to build a ‘hydrogen ecosystem’ involving waste-to-hydrogen in Hong Kong by the end of 2030 after signing a memorandum of understanding with nine global partners.
The deal was signed at the International Hydrogen Development Symposium this week, alongside an intergovernmental MoU between Korea and Hong Kong.
The project includes landfill gas-to-hydrogen production, hydrogen refuelling stations and fuel cell buses, supported by systems supplied by HTWO Guangzhou, the Group’s first overseas fuel cell production facility.
Hyundai’s waste-to-hydrogen technology involves the fermentation of organic waste to generate biogas, which is then treated to capture carbon dioxide and produce hydrogen.
According to official government figures, Hong Kong produces around four million tonnes of waste disposed of at landfills each year. Around a third of this is made up of food waste, while the remainder is waste paper and plastic.
The Group has also been advancing technologies to produce hydrogen from plastic waste streams as part of its wider waste-to-hydrogen roadmap.
Hyundai is additionally developing hydrogen refuelling infrastructure and fuel cell mobility systems through its HTWO hydrogen brand, including stations designed to support buses and commercial vehicle fleets.
Hong Kong’s first hydrogen-powered double-decker buses officially rolled out and began carrying passengers in 2024 ©Shutterstock
Hong Kong is targeting the rollout of public hydrogen filling stations across Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories by 2027 as part of its hydrogen strategy.
Sinopec last year opened Hong Kong’s first public hydrogen refuelling station, with capacity to dispense around 1,000kg of hydrogen per day for buses and other vehicles.
Alpha Lau, Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, said the city’s hydrogen firms have raised more than HKD2.5bn (US$325m) on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange over the past three years.
“Today’s multi-party signing is both a landmark moment for Hong Kong’s green economy and a clear signal that the city’s hydrogen ecosystem is gaining real traction,” he added.
“This MoU was signed as Hyundai Motor Group’s commitment to advancing Hong Kong’s proactive hydrogen policies and [advancing] its hydrogen ecosystem,” said Seung Kyu Shin, Executive Vice President and Head of Energy & Hydrogen Policy at Hyundai.
In 2024, the Group committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 via its roadmap which includes using 100% renewable energy in its overseas factories by 2045 and in “every Group entity” by 2050.
The project site is set to be confirmed in 2027, with facility design to follow.
