HK set to unveil Green Energy Corridor partner city

Hong Kong is preparing to announce its choice of a mainland Chinese city to collaborate on developing the city's first Green Energy Corridor during a maritime conference in November, according to Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) aims to establish five green shipping and energy corridors by 2030, as outlined in its five-year plan, which was introduced in last week's Policy Address.

Chan revealed that the government plans to sign a cooperation agreement with the selected mainland city to guarantee a reliable source of green energy for bunkering purposes. She emphasized that Hong Kong's advantage lies in its ability to create a bunkering supply chain and a trading platform for green energy. By partnering with a mainland city, Hong Kong can ensure a stable supply of marine fuel, which will enhance the competitiveness of overall prices in the long run.

Chan explained that if Hong Kong's demand reaches a certain level and international shipping companies transition from traditional fuels to emerging green fuels while calling at Hong Kong annually, it would benefit both the demand volume and timing for suppliers and producers. More information regarding the initial corridor will be disclosed during Hong Kong Maritime Week, which will also unveil the second batch of partner ports under the Green Shipping Corridor initiative.

Chan announced that the second list of partner ports will focus on attracting more routes from Southeast Asia, South America, and Europe to visit Hong Kong. In addition to the first batch of partner ports, which were unveiled in November and include Chile's San Antonio port, as well as Dalian and Guangxi ports on the mainland, Chan mentioned that Hong Kong intends to establish a "brother port" relationship with Shanghai by 2026.

Both Hong Kong and Shanghai are international shipping hubs and face similar challenges, such as extreme weather affecting port operations. The two cities are exploring potential collaborations, including regular barge services and smart systems to monitor weather conditions.