Energy consumption and economic development in Hong Kong, China

Abstract

The economic structure of a city evolves as the city develops, resulting in a change in energy consumption. This paper presents a historical review of Hong Kong's economic development and energy consumption from 1970 to 2015. Based on the official data from the Hong Kong government, it was found that Hong Kong's gross domestic product increased from HKD 208 billion in 1970 to HKD 2398 billion in 2015 in which the contribution from the manufacturing sector peaked in 1985. Energy consumption increased by 9.3 times from 140.2 PJ in 1970 (mostly oil products) to 1298.2 PJ (including oil products, natural gas, coal, and imported electricity) in 2015. The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions due to energy consumption were determined based on emission factors for different fuels. Results show that GHG emissions increased from 10.7 million tons (Mt) of CO2-equivalent in 1970 to 99.1 Mt of CO2-equivalent in 2015.