{
  "id": 12994179,
  "title": "From kitchen waste to sky-high costs: inside Hong Kong’s quest for green jet fuel",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/from-kitchen-waste-to-sky-high-costs-inside-hong-kongs-quest-for-12994179",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-09T00:30:06.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3370198/kitchen-waste-sky-high-costs-inside-hong-kongs-quest-green-jet-fuel"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Once-neglected \"gutter oil\" from Hong Kong's kitchens and drains has transformed into a valuable resource for producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Ecoceres, a Hong Kong-based biofuel producer, sources this gutter oil across the Greater Bay Area to create clean energy. Alan Chan Ying-lung, Ecoceres' co-chairman, recalls that gutter oil was once free and even subsidized, but now it costs more than conventional jet fuel. This feedstock, alongside animal fat and agricultural waste, contributes to renewable jet fuel, which can cut life-cycle carbon emissions by up to 80 percent compared to traditional jet fuel.\n\nThe Hong Kong government aims for the city to use SAF by 2030, but it has not yet determined who will bear the cost. Cathay Pacific Airways' CEO, Ronald Lam Siu-por, emphasized the importance of producer confidence, airlines' availability and affordability, and investors' clarity on policy direction. The government initially targeted 1-2 percent of fuel consumption from SAF by 2030, but revised it to 1-3 percent in the city's first five-year plan. Asia-Pacific associate director of biofuels at S&P Global Energy, Niki Wang Yangwen, believes Hong Kong's goal is achievable, citing global expectations of 1-5 percent for 2030.\n\nWith a bustling aviation hub and a dominant home carrier, Hong Kong is in a prime position to support this green fuel transition. The government plans to study a mandatory consumption mechanism and promote educational campaigns by 2028. Additionally, a local blending facility is expected to begin operations by 2030, enabling an end-to-end regional value chain for SAF production and distribution. EcoCeres, the world's second-largest SAF producer, plans to set up its production base in Dongguan, capable of manufacturing 450,000 tonnes of SAF and renewable diesel annually by full capacity.",
  "summary": "China’s once-notorious “gutter oil”, recycled from kitchen and drainage waste, has almost vanished from dining tables in recent years and now carries the nickname liquid gold. The substance has become a highly sought-after feedstock for producing clean energy, especially sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), with biofuel producers such as Hong Kong-based Ecoceres sourcing gutter oil across the Greater…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Hong Kong rejects US downgrade to lowest tier in human trafficking report",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/hong-kong-rejects-us-downgrade-to-lowest-tier-in-human-trafficking",
        "published": "2026-10-08T21:43:50.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Hong Kong rejects US downgrade to lowest tier in human trafficking report",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/09/hong-kong-rejects-us-downgrade-to-lowest-tier-in-human-trafficking",
        "published": "2026-10-09T01:47:27.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}