Media Resources

22 Sep 2026

Towngas contributes to the flagship APEC Urban Energy Report, exploring urban energy resilience and low-carbon transition under “AI + energy”

(22 September 2026) The energy consumption of artificial intelligence (AI) has become a focal topic worldwide. At the recent 2026 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Beijing Energy Week meetings, The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) was awarded the title of expert at the certificate presentation ceremony for its part in compiling the APEC Urban Energy Report, recognising its active engagement in the urban energy domain. Its hydrogen application case study was also featured in the “Hong Kong, China” chapter of the report, exploring how hydrogen energy can support AI computing power infrastructure and bolster the resilience of urban energy systems.

The APEC Urban Energy Report is a flagship publication spearheaded by the APEC Sustainable Energy Center (APSEC), with the 2026 edition centred on the theme of “AI + Energy”. Towngas and its renewable energy business arm (Towngas Energy Company Limited) were invited to serve as contributing organisations for the report, focusing on developing application cases in distributed energy storage, smart microgrids, and virtual power plants (VPPs) as representative models demonstrating how AI empowers urban energy systems.

Towngas’s renewable energy arm had already passed expert evaluation organised by the National Energy Administration (NEA) last year, providing research support for the NEA’s initiative on virtual power plants. Since last year, the company has also participated deeply in hydrogen research commissioned by the NEA and led by APSEC, which was published in Hydrogen Energy Development and Application under Carbon Neutrality Goals in APEC Economies and Practices in China, highlighting Hong Kong’s proactive efforts in hydrogen energy applications.

The hydrogen application cases of Towngas in Hong Kong were incorporated as research case studies within the report’s “Hong Kong, China” chapter, exploring how hydrogen can support AI computing infrastructure and enhance urban energy system resilience.

Town gas distributed across Hong Kong has consistently contained around 50% hydrogen. Capitalising on its extensive underground pipeline network spanning over 3,700 kilometres across the territory, Towngas is exploring a supply model of hydrogen extraction from pipelines, progressively expanding an end-to-end hydrogen value chain from production and distribution to diverse applications. In recent years, the company has advanced multiple hydrogen projects, including extracting green hydrogen from landfill biogas, as well as deploying hydrogen power generation and electric vehicle (EV) charging systems in commercial complexes and construction sites, delivering practical and viable solutions for the Asia-Pacific region.

Furthermore, Towngas’s Combined Heat and Power (CHP) projects in Hong Kong and Shenzhen were incorporated as case studies in the APEC Urban Energy Report 2025, demonstrating high-efficiency solutions in clean heating and cooling.

Towngas is actively integrating into and serving the overall national energy development landscape. During Beijing Energy Week in early September this year, the country unveiled the Cooperation Framework for Jointly Building APEC Zero-Carbon / Near-Zero-Carbon Cities. The framework encourages the deployment of VPPs across the Asia-Pacific region as one of five host deliverables, aiming to turn China’s energy transition practices into shared public goods for the region.

The year 2026 marks the beginning of the country’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030); concurrently, Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan and the Policy Address have been released to align with national development strategies. Towngas will continue advancing initiatives such as zero-carbon industrial parks, smart microgrids, virtual power plants, and hydrogen energy. In step with Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan and national energy transition strategies, the Group will explore replicable and scalable urban energy solutions, contributing further practical experience to the low-carbon transformation of the Greater Bay Area and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

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Press photo:
Photo 1:

Towngas’s hydrogen energy project case study will be included in the flagship APEC Urban Energy Report 2026, illustrating how hydrogen enhances the power supply resilience of AI computing power infrastructure.

Photo 2:

Towngas’s smart microgrid and virtual power plant projects in Shenzhen have been selected as case studies in the APEC Urban Energy Flagship Report.

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Towngas was invited to be one of the contributing organisations for the flagship APEC Urban Energy Report and received a commendation certificate alongside industry peers at the expert presentation ceremony.

Photo 4:

Towngas’s hydrogen energy research outcomes were published in Hydrogen Energy Development and Application under Carbon Neutrality Goals in APEC Economies and Practices in China, showcasing Hong Kong’s active implementation of hydrogen energy solutions.