Southeast Asia deepening dependence on fossil fuels, think tank warns

ASEAN’s 10 members met the entirety of region’s emergence successful energy request past twelvemonth done fossil fuels, study says.

Southeast Asia is astatine hazard of deepening its dependence connected fossil fuels arsenic it tries to conscionable surging request for electricity, an biology deliberation vessel has warned.

The 10 nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met the entirety of the region’s 3.6 percent emergence successful energy request past twelvemonth done fossil fuels, the United Kingdom-based deliberation vessel Ember said successful a study released connected Tuesday.

ASEAN’s stock of vigor generated by renewables, meanwhile, fell to 26 percent compared with 28 percent successful 2022 amid a diminution successful hydropower accumulation owed to droughts and different utmost events, the study said.

Carbon emissions grew by 6.6 percent past year, representing an further 44 cardinal tonnes of CO2 successful the atmosphere, according to the report.

Top ember polluters included Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines, portion Singapore and Thailand’s emissions mostly came from earthy gas, according to the report.

Ember said the region’s dilatory vigor modulation means it is missing retired connected the benefits of renewables, including the declining outgo of star and upwind power, which are present cheaper than fossil fuels.

“Continuing astatine this gait of modulation risks ASEAN becoming much babelike connected fossil fuels, missing opportunities presented by emerging cleanable vigor technologies and economics, and failing to conscionable clime targets,” the deliberation vessel said successful its report.

“Meanwhile, energy request continues to turn rapidly, making it much important than ever to conscionable this request with cleanable energy.”

Ember said 2 of the astir promising semipermanent solutions are star powerfulness and upwind power, arsenic hydropower faces expanding reliability issues owed to droughts and changing rainfall patterns.

The study came arsenic the International Energy Agency (IEA) connected Tuesday warned that Southeast Asia would request to put $190bn – oregon 5 times its existent complaint of concern – to execute its clime goals by 2035.

Even with cleanable vigor sources projected to conscionable much than one-third of the maturation successful vigor demand, the portion is inactive connected way to summation its c emissions by 35 percent betwixt present and 2050, the Paris-based intergovernmental organisation said successful a report.

Demand for energy successful Southeast Asia is acceptable to turn astatine an yearly complaint of 4 percent, according to the IEA report.

“Clean vigor technologies are not expanding rapidly capable and the continued dense reliance connected fossil substance imports is leaving countries highly exposed to aboriginal risks,” the IEA’s enforcement director, Fatih Birol, said.

Courtney Weatherby, the lawman manager of the Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia programme, said that renewables similar star powerfulness person large imaginable but determination are inactive galore organization roadblocks successful the way.

Many ASEAN countries are trying to modernise and grow their vigor procreation capableness astatine the aforesaid time, starring to conflicting priorities, Weatherby said, portion renewables inactive look problems similar storage, grid absorption and the inability to nutrient powerfulness connected request during highest hours.

“Most countries successful ASEAN are coming from a comparatively debased starting constituent for solar/wind deployment and this means that adjacent accelerated enlargement volition not pb to a afloat modulation successful a timely manner,” Weatherby told Al Jazeera.

“More importantly, the mandate for powerfulness utilities is to guarantee that the powerfulness proviso is unchangeable and reliable successful bid to guarantee some entree to powerfulness for consumers and besides enactment ongoing economical improvement done attracting investment, often successful manufacturing,” she added.