COVER FEATURE
INGENIEUR
Push for Renewable Energy
in the Asia-Pacific Region
By Pang Soo Mooi
A
t the 3rd International Sustainable Energy
Summit (ISES) 2016 held on April 5, 2016,
the Malaysian Minister of Energy, Green
Technology and Water stressed that the Malaysian
Government places great importance on the
development of sustainable energy as a solution
for Malaysia to achieve energy autonomy and
ultimately, ensuring energy security for Malaysia.
Against this backdrop, it is interesting to examine
the efforts taken by the United Nations Economic
and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(ESCAP) in promoting Renewable Energy (RE) in
the region.
world’s total, which at current production rates will
last 34 years. Natural gas reserves are 106,357
billion m3, accounting for 55.8% of the world’s
total, which will last 76 years at current production
rates. The Asia-Pacific region shares 55.4% of
the global coal reserves, and will last 89 years at
current production rates.
Among the Asia-Pacific countries, reserves of
oil, natural gas and coal are unevenly distributed.
Countries with the most abundant fossil fuel reserves
may not be countries with highest consumption
rates, implying the need for regional co-operation on
energy production and energy trade.
Energy Security
Energy self-sufficiency varies
Energy security is an important prerequisite
for development (ESCAP, 2013). Although its
definition varies across countries, generally it
refers to long-term, sufficient and affordable
energy supply that meets demand. Limited years
of reserves to production ratio for fossil fuels in
the region, various energy self-sufficiency levels,
plus differentiated influence of the fluctuating
international oil prices are all significant factors that
call for regional collaboration on energy access,
trade, connectivity, technology development and
transfer, as well as fiscal strategies to enhance
energy security for sustainable development in the
Asia-Pacific region.
Creating measures for energy self-sufficiency
is one of the most important policy options
for establishing national security. Energy selfsufficiency is estimated by the ratio of indigenous
energy production over Total Primary Energy
Supply (TPES). A country is self-sufficient in energy
supply and may be able to export energy if the
ratio is greater than or equal to 1. A country is not
self-sufficient in energy supply and has to rely on
energy imports if the ratio is less than 1.
Two sub-regions significantly increased their
net energy imports from 1990 to 2012:
●●
East and North-East Asia doubled net
energ y impor ts during the period,
increasing from 429.6 Mtoe to 1139.9, and
●●
South and South-West Asia grew from a net
energy export of 44.5 Mtoe in 1990 to a
net importer of 282.7 in 2012.
South-East Asia, the Pacific and North and
Central Asia have been net energy exporters, with
various levels of increase in TPES exports. North
and Central Asia recorded a strong increase in
Fossil fuel reserves are limited and
unevenly distributed
Fossil fuels have been the major energy resource
for the Asia-Pacific region. Oil reserves in the
Asia-Pacific region account for only 19.3% of the
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VOL
VOL67
55JULY-SEPTEMBER
JUNE 2013 2016