ASEAN’s 10 members met everything of area’s rise in electrical energy demand final 12 months by means of fossil fuels, report says.
Southeast Asia is liable to deepening its dependence on fossil fuels because it tries to fulfill surging demand for electrical energy, an environmental assume tank has warned.
The ten nations of the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met everything of the area’s 3.6 % rise in electrical energy demand final 12 months by means of fossil fuels, the United Kingdom-based assume tank Ember stated in a report launched on Tuesday.
ASEAN’s share of vitality generated by renewables, in the meantime, fell to 26 % in contrast with 28 % in 2022 amid a decline in hydropower manufacturing as a consequence of droughts and different excessive occasions, the report stated.
Carbon emissions grew by 6.6 % final 12 months, representing a further 44 million tonnes of CO2 within the ambiance, in keeping with the report.
High coal polluters included Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines, whereas Singapore and Thailand’s emissions largely got here from pure gasoline, in keeping with the report.
Ember stated the area’s sluggish vitality transition means it’s lacking out on the advantages of renewables, together with the declining value of photo voltaic and wind energy, which at the moment are cheaper than fossil fuels.
“Persevering with at this tempo of transition dangers ASEAN turning into extra depending on fossil fuels, lacking alternatives offered by rising clear vitality applied sciences and economics, and failing to fulfill local weather targets,” the assume tank stated in its report.
“In the meantime, electrical energy demand continues to develop quickly, making it extra vital than ever to fulfill this demand with clear vitality.”
Ember stated two of probably the most promising long-term options are solar energy and wind energy, as hydropower faces rising reliability points as a consequence of droughts and altering rain patterns.
The report got here because the Worldwide Power Company (IEA) on Tuesday warned that Southeast Asia would wish to take a position $190bn – or 5 instances its present price of funding – to realize its local weather targets by 2035.
Even with clear vitality sources projected to fulfill greater than one-third of the expansion in vitality demand, the area remains to be on observe to extend its carbon emissions by 35 % between now and 2050, the Paris-based intergovernmental organisation stated in a report.
Demand for electrical energy in Southeast Asia is ready to develop at an annual price of 4 %, in keeping with the IEA report.
“Clear vitality applied sciences usually are not increasing rapidly sufficient and the continued heavy reliance on fossil gas imports is leaving international locations extremely uncovered to future dangers,” the IEA’s government director, Fatih Birol, stated.
Courtney Weatherby, the deputy director of the Stimson Middle’s Southeast Asia programme, stated that renewables like solar energy have nice potential however there are nonetheless many institutional roadblocks in the best way.
Many ASEAN international locations are attempting to modernise and broaden their vitality era capability on the similar time, resulting in conflicting priorities, Weatherby stated, whereas renewables nonetheless face issues like storage, grid administration and the lack to provide energy on demand throughout peak hours.
“Most international locations in ASEAN are coming from a comparatively low start line for photo voltaic/wind deployment and which means even speedy growth is not going to result in a full transition in a well timed method,” Weatherby instructed Al Jazeera.
“Extra importantly, the mandate for energy utilities is to make sure that the ability provide is steady and dependable with the intention to guarantee each entry to energy for customers and likewise help ongoing financial improvement by means of attracting funding, usually in manufacturing,” she added.
