CALL FOR ASEAN GREEN ENERGY TRANSITION AS CLEAN FUEL HEATS DAVOS FORUM 

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, Jan 22 (Bernama) -- As experts debate on clean fuel at the World Economic Forum in Davos, there is an urgent call in ASEAN for governments to switch to renewable energy to protect the environment.

Political leaders and energy experts are championing the use of green energy and to reduce reliance on fossil fuels that continue to pollute the ozone layer to combat climate change. 

ASEAN’s current energy mix is largely dependent on fossil fuels, namely coal and gas. 

“ASEAN countries need to scale up renewable capacities to meet long-term sustainability goals. To unlock the scale of renewable energy deployment needed for the transition, higher ambitions need to be accompanied by bold and well-planned policy actions,” Ember’s Senior Energy Analyst Dr Dinita Setyawati told Bernama from Jakarta. Ember is a United Kingdom-based energy think tank.

Coal remains a dominant component in ASEAN’s energy landscape, accounting for 43.2 per cent of electricity generation in 2023 and 30.5 per cent of the primary energy mix in 2022, according to the ASEAN Centre for Energy.

“Since 30 per cent of electricity generation in ASEAN comes from gas in 2024, this energy source is creating further vulnerability to ASEAN’s energy supply. 

“The price of gas has been volatile in the past years, necessitating readjustment in demand and leading to demand for the more expensive LNG (liquefied natural gas),” said Dinita.

Southeast Asia’s most populous country, Indonesia, have set a target to increase renewable energy to 23 per cent of its energy mix by 2030.

Likewise, Malaysia aims to achieve 40 per cent renewable energy capacity by 2035 and 70 per cent by 2050 under the National Energy Transition Roadmap. 

The Philippines has set a similar target to promote clean energy resources over the next four years.  

China and India, the world’s second and fourth largest economies, respectively, have expressed commitment to adopting clean fuel to drive their economies forward.

In a special address in Davos, China’s Vice-Premier He Lifeng said China has implemented the world's largest renewable energy system and the most complete new-energy industrial chain. 

“We will control both the total amount and intensity of carbon emissions across the board and strive to achieve carbon peaking before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060,” he said. 

India’s New and Renewable Energy Minister Pralhad Joshi said the country is “pursuing renewables with conviction as the most reliable, affordable and future-ready pathway for growth.”

Dinita said the key objective of ASEAN’s energy transition should be to ensure long-term coordination and comprehensive planning. 

“With ASEAN Power Grid, power-hungry economies such as Singapore is able to access greater flexibility through cross-border trade in renewable electricity. 

“Regional power interconnection allows countries with abundant renewable energy resources to export clean power, reducing reliance on domestic fossil-fuel generation, particularly coal,” said Dinita.

The World Economic Forum is being held in Davos from January 19 to 23.

-- BERNAMA