Asia Pacific Embraces Renewables

June 6, 2004 – Vol.9 No.11

ASIA PACIFIC EMBRACES RENEWABLES.

While the older industrialized nations continue their concern for oil, growing nations, with concern for oil supples, seem more willing to pursue renewables.

At the 22nd annual meeting of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN ) energy ministers from member states agreed that member nations must take the initiative on alternative energy sources to reduce their dependence on oil.

Growing populations (now 500 million combined in ASEAN countries of Brunai, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam) will increase energy demand in the region at the same time as high oil prices may dampen economic well being.

ASEAN nations, facing a decline in oil production, already import two-thirds of their oil requirements. Energy consumption, because of growing populations, is expected to increase 40 percent in the next 10 years.

The consensus from the ministers is that member nations should look for appropriate energy sources based on their indigenous resources.

Planning ahead they would like to increase power generation from renewables at an ambitious 10 percent each year until 2020.

Already the Philippines is trying to become a major generator of geothermal and wind energy. To build its renewable capacity the Philippine government is offering 10 sites for geothermal development and 16 sites for wind farms. A potential of 345 megawatts of wind capacity is being sought. Already renewable sources make up 42 percent of the nation’s energy mix.

China, one of the ASEAN Plus Three nations (China, Japan, Republic of Korea) also attending the meeting has already outlined a plan to provide 10 percent or 60,000 megawatts from renewables by 2010, and 121,000 megawatts by 2020 -12 percent of the nation’s power needs by then. Visit ASEAN http://www.aseansec.org/ .