【Special Feature】Pineapple bun without pineapple, gas without coal?

Hong Kong residents often refer to the gas used in their homes as “coal gas,” but do you know that Towngas, the gas company, actually stopped using coal to produce gas as early as the late 1960s?

Looking back at Hong Kong’s gas manufacturing history, it has been a continuous century-long journey of carbon reduction. When the company was founded in 1862, gas was indeed produced by burning coal; but to improve air quality, the company switched to heavy oil in 1967, and then to low-sulfur naphtha in 1973. By 2006, natural gas, known as the “cleanest fossil fuel,” was introduced. Today, Hong Kong’s gas production raw materials have been fully upgraded.

These fuel transitions over the years have brought tangible carbon reduction benefits to Hong Kong. The Environment and Ecology Bureau released the 2024 Hong Kong Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory earlier this year, showing that power generation and transportation account for 61% and 18% of total emissions respectively. In comparison, greenhouse gas emissions from Towngas-produced gas make up only about 1% of the total emissions in Hong Kong.

The gas manufacturing plant in Tai Po is Towngas’s main production base. Currently, about half of the gas transported through underground pipelines across Hong Kong contains hydrogen, laying a solid foundation for the future widespread use of hydrogen energy in the city.

Gas Production Carbon Emissions Account for Only 1% of Hong Kong’s Total; Biogas as an Energy Source

This impressive 1% figure is thanks to the current clean raw materials: 60% natural gas, 38% naphtha, and 2% landfill biogas. Don’t underestimate this 2% biogas—it is a practical application of turning waste into treasure. Towngas collects biogas from landfills, purifies it, and injects it into the pipeline network. This not only provides daily energy for residents but also actively reduces methane emissions (a potent greenhouse gas) directly released into the atmosphere. It’s a win-win. Towngas understands that carbon reduction is a long-term battle, so it has plans to gradually introduce more zero-carbon fuels, such as green naphtha and green methane, to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fully support the SAR government’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

The Tai Po gas plant is equipped with a large liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving station. Towngas mainly uses cleaner natural gas as its raw material, significantly reducing carbon emissions from the source during production.

Hidden Hydrogen Energy Treasure in Underground Pipelines

When talking about future eco-friendly energy, hydrogen is recognized worldwide as a key development direction. Hong Kong actually has a unique advantage in this area. About half of the chemical composition of the pipeline gas we use daily is hydrogen! Through “pipeline hydrogen extraction” technology, we can directly extract high-purity hydrogen from the underground pipeline network across Hong Kong, avoiding the need to build expensive storage and transportation facilities. Additionally, Towngas is participating in the construction of Hong Kong’s first “green hydrogen” project, which is about to go into operation. This project also converts landfill biogas into hydrogen, marking that Hong Kong is now capable of producing green hydrogen locally.

Towngas and its partners have developed an integrated hydrogen power generator that successfully supplied clean electricity for the Hong Kong Sports Institute during the Asian Games. In the future, it could be used on construction sites to replace high-carbon diesel generators.

Towngas CEO for Hong Kong operations, Chester Cheung, stated that the upcoming Hong Kong’s first green hydrogen project will collect biogas from landfills and convert it into green hydrogen, turning waste into energy and contributing to Hong Kong’s goal of carbon neutrality.

Supporting Hong Kong for Over 160 Years, Creating a Zero-Carbon Future for the Next Generation

Towngas has been alongside Hong Kong residents for more than 160 years, witnessing the city’s development and changes. Every day, when we turn on the stove to cook or enjoy a hot shower, this convenience—taken for granted—relies on a supply reliability of 99.99% and over half a century of carbon reduction efforts. From coal in the past to green hydrogen in the future, this century-old company has quietly paved the way for Hong Kong’s zero-carbon future, ensuring that the next generation can enjoy a cleaner environment and the warmth of a century-old source.