FOREIGN NEWS
06
FOREIGN NEWS
@ green | May-June. 2026
ASEAN leans back on fossil fuels
AS global pressure intensifies for countries to accelerate climate action, Southeast Asia is increasingly facing a difficult reality: balancing economic growth and energy security against ambitious netzero commitments.
According to a report in The Hill, across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations( ASEAN), fossil fuels continue to dominate the region’ s energy systems even as governments publicly support renewable energy expansion and long-term decarbonisation goals.
According to regional energy data and policy analyses, fossil fuels accounted for more than 80 per cent of Southeast Asia’ s primary energy supply in recent years, with coal still playing a central role in electricity generation.
Despite earlier pledges by countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam to gradually phase out coal power in the coming decades, several Southeast Asia economies are still planning additional coal and gas capacity to support industrialisation, urbanisation and rising power demand.
The challenge is particularly acute as electricity demand across Southeast Asia continues to surge, driven by manufacturing growth, digital infrastructure expansion, electric vehicles and rising living standards.
Analysts say concerns over energy affordability and reliability have also pushed some governments to rely more heavily on natural gas and coal as transition fuels, particularly following global energy market disruptions linked to
SAY NO TO FOSSIL FUELS: Greenpeace activists confront ASEAN leaders.
geopolitical conflicts and supply chain instability.
At the same time, Southeast Asia nations continue to reaffirm their support for renewable energy development publicly.
In late 2025, ASEAN endorsed a regional energy cooperation plan to increase renewable electricity to 45 per cent of installed power capacity by 2030, alongside broader energy efficiency goals.
However, renewable deployment across the region still remains far below its theoretical potential. While solar and wind investments are increasing, infrastructure limitations, financing gaps and grid integration challenges continue to slow progress.
ASEAN’ s differing national priorities further complicate the region’ s energy transition. Resource-rich countries continue to depend heavily on fossil fuel exports and domestic industries linked to coal, oil and gas.
As Southeast Asia pushes to become one of the world’ s fastest-growing economic regions, its climate ambitions are increasingly colliding with the realities of development, energy security and industrial competitiveness.
For now, Southeast Asia’ s path to net zero appears less like a rapid transition— and more like a prolonged balancing act between green ambition and fossil fuel dependence.
THE ocean could become the next major frontier for the global solar energy industry, according to a study showing that an offshore floating solar farm in Taiwan outperformed a nearby land-based solar installation in both electricity generation and profitability.
The findings highlight how countries facing land shortages may increasingly turn to offshore renewable energy systems as demand for clean energy continues to rise.
Taiwan, roughly the size of the Netherlands but with about five million more people, faces significant space constraints due to its mountainous terrain and dense urban population.
To address the challenge, Chenya Energy developed a 181-megawatt offshore floating photovoltaic( OFPV) project between 2020 and 2021 inside a protected bay within an industrial park in western Taiwan.
The project occupies around 1.8
Floating solar heads offshore
BETTER OPTION: Floating solar project by Chenya Energy.
square kilometres of water and is part of a growing category of renewable energy systems known as“ floatovoltaics”, where solar panels are mounted on floating platforms.
Researchers compared the offshore installation with a nearby 100-megawatt land-based photovoltaic( LPV) project built earlier by Taiwan Power Company on 1.4 square kilometres of land near the bay.
To ensure an accurate comparison, the study excluded an additional 81 megawatts of capacity from the floating solar facility.
The results showed the offshore system delivered higher electricity output and stronger profitability despite the engineering challenges associated with marine environments, including corrosion, waves and exposure to harsh weather conditions.
The study also reinforces growing industry interest in floating solar systems, particularly for densely populated coastal nations where land availability is limited.
Beyond saving space, floating solar systems may offer operational advantages, including natural cooling from surrounding water that can improve panel efficiency.
As countries intensify efforts to strengthen energy security and meet net-zero targets, offshore floating solar could play an increasingly important role in the next phase of the global renewable energy transition. – @ green