Asian energy interconnection inevitable for cleaner future: Chinese expert

Asian energy interconnection inevitable for cleaner future: Chinese expert

A Chinese expert proposed Tuesday to a panel of energy ministers here that
building energy interconnection in Asia is an inevitable way forward to
promote energy transition and realize clean development.

The key to promoting energy transition in Asia lies in the massive
development of clean energy and distribution of it, but the discrepancy in
energy consumption and distribution decides that building energy
interconnection in Asia is our way forward for a cleaner and better future,
said Liu Zhenya, chairman of Global Energy Interconnection Development and
Cooperation Organization(GEIDCO) at a high-level panel discussion of
Commission on Energy, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific.

Over reliance on fossil fuels caused resource constraints, environmental
pollution and climate change that we are facing now, said Liu, adding that
the most effective solution was to develop low carbon and even zero carbon
energy.

Clean energy resources are very abundant globally, a mere 0.05 percent of
them could meet the total global demand now, but these clean energy
resources are not evenly distributed with most resource-rich areas being far
away from load centers, thus long-distance power transmission are needed.

Coal accounts for 53 percent of energy consumption in Asia, much higher than
world's average level of 24 percent, which caused air pollution and high
level of carbon emission, Liu said.

Asia's Sulfur dioxide makes up for 49 percent of world's total emission,
while its nitrogen oxides, pm 2.5 and carbon dioxide make up for 39 percent,
59 percent and 54 percent respectively.

Asia's energy demand is still growing rapidly, said Liu, and more than 500
million Asian people still do not have access to electricity, accounting for
43 percent of the world's total.

Liu concluded that the massive development of clean energy and energy
interconnection can be the solution to these problems.

He proposed a layout for the Asian energy interconnection, a "1+5" pattern
comprised of grids from China, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia,
Central Asia and West Asia which aims to accelerate the development of clean
energy in northern China, Mongolia and Russia and transmit electricity to
eastern China, South Korea and Japan, and speed up power grid construction
in South Asia and Southeast Asia and regional interconnection to accommodate
clean energy from China, Central Asia and West Asia to meet the demand in
India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Southeast Asian countries.

Conditions are ripe for building Asian energy interconnection, said Liu,
adding that as technologies of Ultra High Voltage and smart grid are
becoming more mature, renewable energy is becoming increasingly
cost-efficient and Paris Agreement, which came into effect last November,
has created a favorable political environment for global energy
interconnection.

Governments should adopt incentives and policies for the development of
clean energy and the building of the energy interconnection while
international organizations and research institutes should further study the
construction plans of large-scale energy bases in Asia, grid interconnection
design and key technologies and equipment and enterprises should work
together to implement the project, Liu urged.

We should develop clean energy and strengthen energy interconnection right
now, said Hayk Harutyunyan, deputy minister of Armenian Ministry of Energy
Infrastructure and Natural Resources, adding that political issues should
not hamper the process of energy interconnection.

"We should accept the common sense that energy cooperation is the key to
sustainable growth," Harutyunyan said during a panel discussion.

"More advanced technology today allows us to be integrated to a bigger
picture than before, so I do think energy interconnection will benefit us,
and in the long term, we need to do it anyway," said Areepong Bhoocha-Oom,
Permanent Secretary of Thailand's Ministry of Energy.

According to GEIDCO, Asia's cross-border power grid interconnection is
lagging behind as such interconnection layouts have already been formed in
Europe and North America.

GEIDCO was initiated and founded in Beijing in March 2016 with the mission
to promote global energy interconnection to facilitate efforts to meet
global power demands with clean and green alternatives.

The Commission on Energy of United Nations Economic and Social Commission
for Asia and the Pacific was established in 2015 and the high-level panel is
the first session of the commission.

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Link to Original Article:
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2017-01/18/content_27988738.htm

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com