Eurasia Review & New Straits Times
27 October 2015
- RSIS
- Media Mentions
- Strengthening Energy Security: Key to Sustainable Development in Asia – Analysis
Strengthening Energy Security: Key to Sustainable Development in Asia – Analysis
With the growing urgency of energy security in an era of climate change, the option to increase the share of renewables and nuclear energy in the energy mix will increasingly become attractive in Asia. Correspondingly, enhancing regional collaborations can play a vital role in ensuring energy security in a sustainable manner including exploring clean energy and upholding the safe use of nuclear power.
Energy security is critical to sustaining Asia’s rapid population and economic growth as well as national commitments to reduce carbon emissions to combat climate change. The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that Southeast Asia’s energy demand will increase by 80 per cent by 2040. To support economic development, the generation capacity of South-east Asia’s power sector will expand by 400GW by 2040, which is equivalent to the current size of Japan and Korea’s power systems. At the same time, China and India are expected to contribute 70 per cent of total electricity generated globally.
Rapid energy demand growth requires stable and secure energy sources. It is therefore essential that we obtain a balanced and diverse energy mix to achieve energy security, economic growth and address environmental concerns. Together, Asian countries can enhance regional partnerships towards this goal.
… Ong Keng Yong is executive deputy chairman of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He will be moderating sessions on energy transitions and their implications on the global landscape at Singapore International Energy Week 2015 from Oct 26 to 30. Julius Cesar I. Trajano is associate research fellow at RSIS’ Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS). This article first appeared in The Business Times.
IDSS / NTS Centre / RSIS / Online
Last updated on 01/12/2015
