China Petroleum & Chemical Corp, the world's largest refiner, also known as Sinopec, recently launched the first public hydrogen refueling station in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, a milestone in the region's push for cleaner energy alternatives.

The station is expected to play a key role in the development of a hydrogen economy in Hong Kong and the broader region, which has been ramping up efforts to adopt cleaner energy sources to combat air pollution and meet global climate targets, it said.

With a daily refueling capacity of 1,000 kilograms, the hydrogen station is sufficient to support the growing fleet of hydrogen-powered vehicles in the region. The station will initially serve hydrogen-powered vehicles, including buses and cars, and is expected to be expanded as demand grows, it added.

An analyst said the launch of this facility is a major step toward the promotion of hydrogen as a clean alternative to fossil fuels in both transportation and industrial sectors.

Wu Mouyuan, vice-president of the China National Petroleum Corp Economics and Technology Research Institute, said hydrogen, serving as a clean fuel alternative, can produce energy without emitting carbon dioxide and has proven to be a promising solution for heavy industry, aviation and long-haul overland transport, decarbonizing sectors that are challenging to directly electrify.

Hydrogen can play a crucial role in consuming and storing renewable energy, an energy alternative for achieving deep emissions reductions at the terminal stage, he said.

The launch of the station in Hong Kong comes amid a growing global interest in hydrogen as a clean energy carrier. Hydrogen is widely regarded as one of the most promising solutions for decarbonizing industries that rely on high-temperature processes, such as steel and cement production, as well as heavy-duty transport, including buses, trucks and trains.

In addition to its environmental benefits, hydrogen refueling stations are also seen as a step toward diversifying Hong Kong's energy infrastructure, which currently relies heavily on imported fossil fuels, said Sinopec.

Sinopec's Hong Kong station is part of the company's broader strategy to expand its hydrogen infrastructure at home and abroad. The company has been making significant investments in hydrogen production, refueling stations and related technologies in recent years, to capitalize on the global shift toward low-carbon energy systems.

The Hong Kong government is also actively working toward establishing a regulatory framework conducive to the growth of the hydrogen industry, aiming to introduce a certification model for "green hydrogen" or "low-carbon hydrogen" by 2027, an initiative that is expected to position Hong Kong as a demonstration base for the green hydrogen industry globally.

Data released by the Chinese Renewable Energy Society show that China has built over 400 hydrogen refueling stations, ranking first in the world in number.

As the largest producer and consumer of hydrogen globally, China will see its hydrogen energy industry output value reach 1 trillion yuan ($137.6 billion) by 2025, said the China Hydrogen Alliance.

The alliance estimated that China's hydrogen energy will account for more than 10 percent of China's terminal energy system, with the annual output value of the industrial chain expected to reach 12 trillion yuan by 2050.