InvestHK leads green-tech mission to UK & Scotland

InvestHK has completed its first energy and sustainability mission to the UK, bringing together 25 Hong Kong and Mainland companies with British investors, policymakers and clean-tech partners.

Co-organised with the UK Department for Business and Trade, the visit aimed to strengthen two-way investment links in green technology and sustainable finance.

The group was led by King Leung, Global Head of Financial Services, Fintech and Sustainability at InvestHK, and Daisy Ip, Head of Business and Talent Attraction / Investment Promotion at InvestHK London Office. It included listed companies, pre-IPO businesses, start-ups and investors. Three ecosystem partners also joined the mission: Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Hong Kong Trade Development Council and Hong Kong Productivity Council.

The companies represented sectors including battery and energy storage, renewable energy, smart electric vehicle infrastructure, new materials and artificial intelligence. The programme was designed to present Hong Kong as a base for green-tech companies seeking overseas expansion, while also attracting British firms and investors to the city.

Scotland Visit

In Scotland, the delegation visited industrial clusters and green freeport sites in the Edinburgh area and Aberdeen. The itinerary focused on the UK's shift from oil and gas to renewable energy, with meetings on heavy-industry decarbonisation and newer clean-energy sectors.

The group also held talks with the University of Edinburgh and the City of Edinburgh Council, covering offshore wind, hydrogen and carbon capture, areas where Britain is seeking to build industrial and investment momentum.

The London section of the mission coincided with London Climate Action Week. Delegates took part in sessions at Reset Connect, the Climate Innovation Forum and the Octopus Energy Tech Summit, and met the Office for Investment, Great British Energy and UK Research and Innovation.

The mission comes as Hong Kong seeks to deepen its role in green finance and position itself as a regional base for Mainland companies expanding internationally. It also reflects British efforts to attract overseas capital and commercial partners into low-carbon sectors such as offshore wind, hydrogen, storage and carbon capture.

Leung said the structure of the two markets made the trip timely for businesses seeking capital and market access. "As both economies pivot toward net zero, the structural alignment between Hong Kong and the UK has never been clearer. London is the world's pre-eminent green finance centre, and Hong Kong is Asia's ultimate super-connector, uniquely bridging Chinese Mainland green-tech enterprises with global markets under 'one country, two systems'. This mission is the practical infrastructure of that bridge, connecting patient capital, technology partners and corporate buyers to drive real commercial outcomes, and demonstrating how Hong Kong serves as the launchpad for companies scaling into the US$2 trillion Greater Bay Area and the wider region," he said.

Ip said the initiative showed the investment promotion agency's broader remit. "This mission reflects InvestHK's evolving role, from attracting capital, talent and standards into Hong Kong to actively supporting companies as they go global. Our delegates raised their profile alongside the InvestHK team at the UK's leading sustainability forums, while UK clean-tech firms, investors and research institutions saw first-hand the strength of Hong Kong's green finance and innovation ecosystem. Through InvestHK's extensive global network, we are committed to facilitating these two-way opportunities," she said.

British officials involved in the programme pointed to the complementarity between the two markets. The UK has developed policy and industrial programmes around renewable energy and decarbonisation, while Hong Kong has sought to strengthen its standing in green finance and as a route into the Greater Bay Area.

"Few partnerships are as complementary as the UK and Hong Kong on the net-zero transition. Britain's strengths in offshore wind, hydrogen and carbon capture are matched by Hong Kong's unrivalled ability to mobilise capital and open doors across the Greater Bay Area and Asia. That is what makes this delegation so valuable - it puts UK clean-tech firms, investors and researchers directly in front of the companies and capital that can scale British innovation regionally. We were delighted to co-host a mission that turns shared climate ambition into tangible commercial outcomes," said Chris Woodward, Director General for Trade and Investment, British Consulate General Hong Kong.

For participating companies, the visit offered direct access to decision-makers and potential commercial partners in the British market. It also gave Mainland-headquartered firms a platform to present themselves within a Hong Kong-led framework to investors and policy contacts in Europe.

One of those companies was RelyEZ, an energy storage business headquartered in Shenzhen. Michelle Cross, Director of Europe at RelyEZ, said the mission had commercial value as the company looked to expand in Britain and Europe.

"As a Shenzhen-headquartered global energy storage company that has delivered over 13 GWh across more than 200 projects worldwide, the UK and European markets are central to our growth. This mission gave us direct access to the partners, policymakers and capital that matter, and reinforced the value of Hong Kong as a platform connecting Chinese energy-storage capabilities with international markets. We look forward to more opportunities of this kind that bring industry, investors and policymakers together to forge meaningful, lasting partnerships," she said.