Southeast Asia is home to a wind energy “goldmine” just waiting to be tapped. Leading the way forward is the Philippines with an estimated technical potential of around 70 gigawatts (GW). However, Indonesia is not to be outdone in this regard.The largest economy in the region has attractive demographics and a surging power demand.
Southeast Asia is a growing region with countries here averaging growth rates of 5.1 percent. This situation has rightly prompted a rise in energy demand within the region. Between 2000 and 2016, economic growth in the region spurred a 70 percent increase in primary energy demand.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has set an ambitious target of securing 23 percent of its primary energy from renewable sources by 2025 as energy demand in the region is expected to grow by 50 percent.
As crude prices hover around US$75 a barrel, power producers are feeling the pinch and passing on the cost to customers. Malaysia’s utility company, Tenaga Nasional (TNB) imposed a 1.35 sen (US$0.0135) per kWh surcharge to offset its fuel and generation costs this month.
Petroleum is known as liquid gold due to its utility to various segments in society, making it a sought-after commodity the world over. ASEAN’s petroleum potential is quite impressive, with the sector positioned for further expansion in coming years. The question is, how can the harnessing of petroleum contribute to a sustainable energy future?
Indonesia is one of the largest countries in the world in terms of both land area and population. Over the past five years, Indonesia’s urban population has increased by 53.5 percent, more than half of its total, according to Statistics Indonesia. The impact of urban population growth is directly proportional to the rise in demand for both infrastructure and living facilities in urban space, such as buildings and roads.
In the modern world, electricity is deemed a necessity – powering up households and businesses which in turn drives economic growth. It also makes life more comfortable and innovation possible. But given the urban-rural divide which is prevalent almost everywhere in Southeast Asia, electricity is somewhat a luxury to some – especially for those living in far-off rural areas.
Among all the 10-member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Myanmar lags behind in terms of electricity connectivity to the national grid. Only 35 percent of the population is connected to the national grid, according to a report published by Baker & McKenzie in October, 2017.
As of 2015, out of the total population of 630 million people living in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states, 107 million do not have access to electricity. Those affected live mostly in remote areas and are far off from electricity grids.Rural electrification is a major challenge for regional development. As rapid urbanisation sees more and more rural towns develop, what undergirds such a shift is access to electricity.
Bangkok's Wireless Road may soon live up to its name. Like many streets in the Thai capital, the thoroughfare is festooned with electrical and telecom cables, a black web that hangs menacingly overhead like dystopian Christmas decorations.But Bangkok authorities are now untangling the cables and moving them underground as part of an urban renewal pushed by the Thai junta that seized power in 2014.
