Hong Kong took a step toward building a local hydrogen economy on Wednesday with the opening of the city’s first dedicated hydrogen fuel testing laboratory.
The Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) and its Centre of Advanced Power and Autonomous Systems (APAS) officially launched the Hydrogen Fuel Testing Laboratory during the opening of the New Energy Summit 2026.
The milestone facility establishes a local, high-precision testing and certification infrastructure designed to accelerate the commercialization, safety validation and wider adoption of hydrogen technologies across the region, said Du Yonghai, HKPC’s chief innovation officer.
The laboratory provides on-site sampling for hydrogen production sites, refueling stations and end-user applications, reducing reliance on sending samples to the Chinese mainland for quality validation, said Ralph Xu Weiyu, APAS head of green transportation.
“It adds a new impetus to the development of the city’s hydrogen-fuel-quality testing services and helps the industry,” said Sammy Yeung Sau-kuen, commissioner for Climate Change of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, who officiated at the opening ceremony.
Yeung described the lab as filling a “missing link” in Hong Kong’s hydrogen value chain that will “enhance the city’s credibility and market competitiveness”.
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He said that following its Strategy of Hydrogen Development, the SAR government will continue to optimize infrastructure planning, and steadily promote the application of hydrogen energy in the city. He added that fuel diversification is essential for Hong Kong to meet its zero-carbon goals.
The SAR government’s first five-year plan (2026-30) and the 2026 Policy Address, both released on Sept 16, set targets for green transition and aim to advance hydrogen energy trial projects.
An interdepartmental working group, set up in 2022, has given in-principle approval to 42 hydrogen trial projects, including hydrogen-powered double-decker buses, street washing vehicles, and the city’s first public hydrogen refueling station in Yuen Long. Yeung said related legislation is expected to be concluded by the end of this year.
The city’s first five-year blueprint calls for deeper cooperation with Guangdong province on hydrogen standards, demonstration applications and industrial technology development, while supporting infrastructure investment and green finance arrangements.
HKPC and APAS also showcased their research-and-development work, such as electrification solutions for small vessels, hydrogen fuel-cell power generation for construction sites, methanol power applications, and smart charging solutions.
APAS outlined joint research with partners including Foshan Xianhu Laboratory on electrochemical hydrogen extraction from existing municipal gas pipelines, as well as collaborations with Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute on biomass-to-green-fuel solutions and with universities on autonomous driving and delivery robotics.
Officials acknowledged that efforts in the hydrogen energy area are “prudent” and “demonstration-led”, and widespread commercial deployment is still in its early stages. The sector still requires detailed data on expected margins and cost-recovery timelines before large-scale commercialization and profitability can be achieved.
Contact the writer at jessicachen@chinadailyhk.com
