Scene setting

This report chapter by Ember examines the grid planning strategies of the ASEAN region, highlighting a significant gap between current national transmission expansion plans and the targets required to meet climate goals and rising electricity demand.

• Electricity demand in the ASEAN region grew by approximately 50% between 2013 and 2023, increasing from 817 TWh to 1,277 TWh. This growth was primarily driven by Indonesia, Viet Nam, Thailand, and Malaysia. Demand is projected to increase by up to 41% by 2030.
• Grid planning logic in ASEAN is shifting from focusing solely on peak demand and reliability toward integrating renewable energy and managing supply variability. This shift is supported by significant cost reductions between 2010 and 2020: solar power costs fell by 85%, wind power costs by 55%, and battery costs by 85%.
• There is a substantial gap between the transmission expansion plans of four key ASEAN countries and the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Announced Pledges Scenario (APS) target of 100,000 km for Southeast Asia between 2021 and 2030. The combined plans for Indonesia (20,798 km), Viet Nam (12,300 km), Thailand (6,677 km), and the Philippines (3,935 km) total 45,078 km, which is approximately 45% of the IEA target.
• The IEA estimates that Southeast Asia needs to add 1.7 million km of transmission and distribution grids between 2021 and 2030, with distribution lines making up 94% and transmission lines making up 6% of that total.

APA

Ember (2025). Scene setting. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/scene-setting/

Chicago

Ember. Scene setting. 2025. https://ember-energy.org/chapter/scene-setting/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Scene setting |date=15 May 2025 |url=https://ember-energy.org/chapter/scene-setting/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2025scene, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Scene setting}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2025}, month = may, url = {https://ember-energy.org/chapter/scene-setting/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }