SYNERGIES OF GREEN RECOVERY AND ENERGY TRANSITION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Promoting regional exchange on the opportunities and challenges of the transition to a green energy system in Southeast Asia

For six weeks, the IKI projects Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy for Southeast Asia (CASE) and Strategic Environmental Dialogues, in cooperation with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), have been training a total of 50 participants from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam on green recovery and energy transition. The virtual capacity-building format Green Recovery and Renewable Energy Academy in Southeast Asia aims to promote regional exchange on the opportunities and challenges of transitioning to a clean, secure, and affordable energy system in Southeast Asia.

Southeast Asia is one of the most energy-intensive regions in the world.  Rapid urbanisation and industrialisation have led to increased greenhouse gas emissions. The Covid 19 pandemic also had a massive impact on the region’s economic growth and created additional challenges to meet climate change targets in the face of increasing climatic and economic vulnerability. Meanwhile, energy demand growth is expected in 2023-2052. Traditionally, the region has relied on fossil fuels. For example, coal consumption has more than doubled since 2010. However, there have also been signs of a clean energy transition in recent years. Countries in the region are also embracing new technologies, including offshore wind (Vietnam), floating solar (Indonesia) and utility-scale battery storage (Thailand).

The Academy focused on Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines, which account for about 80% of the region’s total energy share and population. It aimed to build capacity and stimulate and facilitate the exchange of experiences between key stakeholders from Southeast Asia. It also drew on positive experiences from existing initiatives in these countries and collectively reflected on ways to scale up in the context of the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic. While the academy had a strong peer-learning focus, it also enabled participants to engage with international and regional experts to discuss challenges and opportunities for a social energy transition.

From Vietnam, representatives of various organisations participated, such as the Vietnam Petroleum Institute, GIZ Vietnam, Thuyloi University, Trường Đại học Dầu khí Việt Nam, Live&Learn, the Centre for Green Innovation and Development, the Energy Institute and the University of Science and Technology. As a final project of the workshop, a project idea for the decarbonisation of the Vietnamese energy sector was developed. Fuel switch. Initially, coal-fired power is to be replaced by other energy sources and the share of renewable energies is to be systematically increased, while at the same time increasing energy efficiency. As a final step, the implementation of carbon capture and storage and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCS/CCUS) as well as carbon sinks is envisaged.

The global climate and environmental crises show that economic growth is only possible in the long term if it respects planetary boundaries. To support green growth and the efforts of Southeast Asian countries, the Academy helped build capacity and facilitate the exchange of experiences to support a clean and inclusive energy transition. A coaching mechanism also provided participants with the opportunity to put into practice the knowledge and skills they acquired during the academy. This is reflected in the final projects, which include roadmaps, action plans and project proposals.

For further information, please visit: Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy for Southeast Asia (CASE) | Internationale Klimaschutzinitiative (IKI) (international-climate-initiative.com)