ASEAN’s 10 members met the whole thing of area’s rise in electrical energy demand final yr by way of fossil fuels, report says.
Southeast Asia is liable to deepening its dependence on fossil fuels because it tries to satisfy surging demand for electrical energy, an environmental assume tank has warned.
The ten nations of the Affiliation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met the whole thing of the area’s 3.6 % rise in electrical energy demand final yr by way of fossil fuels, the United Kingdom-based assume tank Ember mentioned in a report launched on Tuesday.
ASEAN’s share of power generated by renewables, in the meantime, fell to 26 % in contrast with 28 % in 2022 amid a decline in hydropower manufacturing on account of droughts and different excessive occasions, the report mentioned.
Carbon emissions grew by 6.6 % final yr, representing an extra 44 million tonnes of CO2 within the ambiance, in accordance with the report.
High coal polluters included Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines, whereas Singapore and Thailand’s emissions principally got here from pure gasoline, in accordance with the report.
Ember mentioned the area’s sluggish power transition means it’s lacking out on the advantages of renewables, together with the declining price 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 power applied sciences and economics, and failing to satisfy local weather targets,” the assume tank mentioned in its report.
“In the meantime, electrical energy demand continues to develop quickly, making it extra essential than ever to satisfy this demand with clear power.”
Ember mentioned two of probably the most promising long-term options are solar energy and wind energy, as hydropower faces growing reliability points on account of droughts and altering rain patterns.
The report got here because the Worldwide Vitality Company (IEA) on Tuesday warned that Southeast Asia would wish to speculate $190bn – or 5 occasions its present price of funding – to attain its local weather objectives by 2035.
Even with clear power sources projected to satisfy greater than one-third of the expansion in power demand, the area continues to be on monitor to extend its carbon emissions by 35 % between now and 2050, the Paris-based intergovernmental organisation mentioned in a report.
Demand for electrical energy in Southeast Asia is ready to develop at an annual price of 4 %, in accordance with the IEA report.
“Clear power applied sciences will not be increasing rapidly sufficient and the continued heavy reliance on fossil gasoline imports is leaving nations extremely uncovered to future dangers,” the IEA’s govt director, Fatih Birol, mentioned.
Courtney Weatherby, the deputy director of the Stimson Heart’s Southeast Asia programme, mentioned that renewables like solar energy have nice potential however there are nonetheless many institutional roadblocks in the way in which.
Many ASEAN nations try to modernise and increase their power era capability on the similar time, resulting in conflicting priorities, Weatherby mentioned, whereas renewables nonetheless face issues like storage, grid administration and the shortcoming to supply energy on demand throughout peak hours.
“Most nations in ASEAN are coming from a comparatively low start line for photo voltaic/wind deployment and because of this even speedy enlargement won’t result in a full transition in a well timed method,” Weatherby informed 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 shoppers and in addition help ongoing financial growth by way of attracting funding, typically in manufacturing,” she added.
