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Southeast Asia is emerging as a critical region in global energy. Energy demand among the ASEAN countries increased by more than 50% between 2000 and 2013, and this trend is likely to continue. The 2015 World Energy Outlook Special Report on the Energy Outlook for Southeast Asia found that the electricity demand among ASEAN countries nearly triples by 2040, requiring an additional 400 GW of new generating capacity – an amount roughly equal to the installed capacity of present day Japan and Korea combined. Of this, 40% is expected to be coal power, though renewables make inroads as well, more than tripling in capacity terms over that same timeframe. While most of that renewable power will be in the form of hydro, solar PV and wind are expected to increase significantly.
Work done by the IEA based on the experiences of both its member countries and key partner countries – including countries in Southeast Asia – has demonstrated that growing regions can meet their power sector needs in a more affordable, secure, and sustainable manner through regional collaboration and interconnection. In particular, an interconnected power system can enhance the development and integration of variable renewable power generation capacity in ASEAN, decreasing the environmental impact of ASEAN’s power sector while also increasing its general electricity security. While developing a regional power grid remains an explicit goal of the ASEAN community, progress has been limited.
The workshop will examine the ways that ASEAN member countries can develop appropriate regional institutions and leverage advances in grid technologies to support regional interconnection. It will discuss the released Global Energy Investment Report by the IEA’s Economics and Investment Office, the IEA’s forthcoming roadmap on Smart Transmission Grids, the opportunities for and challenges of developing large-scale, cross-border transmission projects in Asia, and how to develop regional institutions to support regional power sector integration.