South-East Asia is at a road fork of development. Nowhere else in the world are so many coal power plants in the pipeline and on the drawing boards as in Indonesia, and the Philippines. This can provide opportunities for Australian coal exports, yet there may be an alternative development pathway from which Australia could benefit, brokering low-carbon development in the South-East Asia region.

As the economics of solar and wind become increasingly competitive, how can Australia build and maintain long-term strategic alliances in the South-East Asia region – as a trading partner, energy provider (HVDC), regional knowledge centre and geopolitical ally?

Through desktop analysis of South East Asian countries’ current and projected energy supply and demand profiles, and their needs for key technical, market design and economic expertise on low-carbon development, this project aims to understand:

• How Australia can support energy transition in South East Asia
• How Australia can benefit from supporting energy transition in the South-East Asia region
• How Australia’s energy exports (e.g. hydrogen, HVDC, synthetic fuels) can be scaled to support the regions’ energy demand in a zero-carbon world

It is hoped that in meeting these objectives, the project will identify where key opportunities exist in the energy sector of South East Asian countries wanting to embark on a long-term zero-carbon trajectory and how Australia can bolster these opportunities

The scope of this project is limited to initial scoping. A full coverage of this topic would require substantial additions to modelling, legal and on-location resources. The Hub is seeking additional support and interest from partners to help realise this extension and expansion of the work.