The Association of Southeast Nations (ASEAN) includes 10 Member States – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – that are home to about 643.7 million people, with a combined GDP of USD 7.12 trillion in 2017 (2011 constant PPP). It is a diverse group, but collectively, a growing economic force: even after accounting for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the region’s GDP is still projected to nearly triple by 2040. Fuelling that growth will require significant amounts of energy.
The 6th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO6), prepared by the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH through the ASEAN-German Energy Programme (AGEP), in close collaboration with experts and policy-makers from all 10 ASEAN Member States (AMS), examines how the region can meet the energy needs of its growing economy and population from now until 2040. The choices made today have major implications not just for individual AMS, but also for the region and the world. Hence, AEO6 examines different ways forward and their implications for energy security, development and the environment.
AEO6 can also help policy-makers, energy planners and other stakeholders gauge progress on the targets set in the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2016–2025 to strengthen energy security, accessibility, affordability and sustainability, and inform Phase II of APAEC, “Accelerating Energy Transition and Strengthening Energy Resilience through Greater Innovation and Cooperation”.
AEO6 explores four scenarios – three of which were modelled in AEO5 as well, plus a new scenario focused on attaining Sustainable Development Goal 7, “Affordable and Clean Energy”. Starting with roughly the same suite of technologies for the same population and GDP extrapolations, the four scenarios explore different strategies and escalating levels of ambition, and their implications: “Promote Information Sharing on the Energy-Climate Nexus”, under the Programme Area “Regional Energy Policy and Planning (REPP)”. The designed Action Plans under this OBS 6 will promote information sharing on the energy-climate nexus, provide insights into synergising the energy measures and climate actions, as well as the enablers and constraints pertaining to decarbonisation. Such knowledge will assist the ASEAN energy sector in addressing energy issues related to climate change and managing the energy trilemma, including the food-energy-water nexus.
