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Financing the ASEAN Power Grid Executive summary
Southeast Asia’s electricity sector is on the cusp of major changes that underscore the case for regional integration Rapidly growing electricity demand alongside accelerating momentum behind renewables deployment will require major investment in grids across Southeast Asia. Electricity consumption in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region has increased ninefold since 1990 and is projected to continue to grow at annual rate of 3 to 4% through to 2040, considerably faster than the global average. ASEAN member states have committed to a massive expansion of new generation capacity to meet this demand. By 2040, total generation capacity is…
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China’s Official Energy Finance in Emerging and Developing Economies Case studies
China’s outbound energy engagement spans a wide range of technologies, financing structures and institutional actors. While aggregate trends reveal a system that is becoming more diversified, risk-sensitive and commercially oriented, the specific pathways through which Chinese capital supports energy transitions in EMDE become clearer when examined at the project level.The following case studies illustrate this diversity in practice, from large-scale renewable deployment and grid modernisation to industrial decarbonisation, equity participation in regional infrastructure platforms and upstream resource development. Together, they show how different parts of China’s official financing system interact with local conditions, how technical…
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Sodium-ion battery momentum grows, but challenges remain
batteries commentary sodium batteries Recent technological advances and investment announcements suggest dynamics are shifting for sodium-ion batteries Sodium-ion batteries are emerging as a new player in battery markets, offering opportunities to diversify battery chemistries and supply chains at a time of rising global demand for electric vehicles and energy storage. Developed in laboratories since the early 1980s, sodium-ion batteries operate on the same fundamental principles as lithium‑ion batteries – which currently dominate the market – yet their path to commercialisation has been markedly slower.While lithium-ion batteries entered commercial use in the 1990s – with the first electric vehicles…
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Energy System Resilience
Lessons learned from Ukraine Ensuring energy security encompasses both long-term and short-term dimensions. The long-term dimension involves securing sufficient infrastructure investment and diverse supply sources. The short-term dimension – resilience – focuses on systems’ ability to cope with events exceeding standard planning conditions. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has worked to protect its energy sector and to increase its ability to withstand and rapidly recover from Russia’s attacks on its energy infrastructure. The report explores the lessons that Ukraine has been learning as it works to bolster system resilience and identifies measures that…
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2030 Methane Emissions Reduction Roadmap
The Republic of Korea published the 2030 Emissions Reduction Roadmap to communicate its contribution to progress in global methane emissions reduction for the Global Methane Pledge. The Roadmap includes a target of a 30% emissions reduction compared to 2020 levels by 2030, along with 14 key policy tasks across the agriculture, livestock, waste and energy sectors. In the energy sector, Korea aims to cut methane emissions by 22.7% through the following measures:Periodic formulation of the 'Fugitive Emissions Management Plan.'Reduction of fossil fuel use through a transition of the energy mix and reduction in energy use.Improvement of…
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Next-Generation Distributed Power Grid Promotion Plan
The plan establishes Korea’s next-generation distributed power grid system to accommodate more distributed renewable generation and support local production-local consumption of electricity. In 2026, the government announced KRW 321 billion in public funding to accelerate distribution-grid innovation, flexibility resources and intelligent grid operation. The plan includes the deployment of 20 ESS units in 2026 and a total of 85 ESS units by 2030 in congested distribution areas, which is expected to enable around 485 MW of additional solar PV grid connection. It also promotes advanced distribution management systems, conditional grid connection, non-wires alternatives, V2G, P2H…
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Designation Plan for Distributed Energy Special Zones
The designation plan establishes Korea’s first distributed energy special zones under the Distributed Energy Act to pilot local generation-local consumption systems and reduce dependence on long-distance transmission. The first designated regions were Jeonnam, Jeju, Busan and Gyeonggi, following the review of candidate areas including Jeju, Busan, Gyeonggi, Gyeongbuk, Ulsan, Chungnam and Jeonnam. The zones allow new business models such as direct electricity trading, region-specific tariffs, VPPs, EV-based V2G, ESS and P2X. In Jeju, all three proposed models — VPP-based V2G, ESS and P2X — were approved, supporting the island’s 2035 carbon-neutrality strategy and distributed…
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National Resource Security Enhancement Measures
The measures strengthen Korea’s resource security framework in response to rising geopolitical and supply-chain risks affecting imported energy resources and critical minerals. They are linked to the National Resource Security Act, which expands resource-security coverage to petroleum, natural gas, coal, uranium, hydrogen and core minerals, and provides the basis for stockpiling, emergency release, allocation, rationing and maximum selling prices for core resources. The package supports supply-chain monitoring, overseas resource development, public stockpiling, private-sector risk sharing and emergency response mechanisms.
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Comprehensive Rare Earth Supply Chain Measures
The package addresses Korea’s rare earth supply-chain vulnerability across mining, separation and refining, magnet production, recycling and stockpiling. The government decided to designate all 17 rare earth elements as critical minerals and to strengthen monitoring through new or more detailed HSK trade codes. It also expands policy support for overseas resource development, including an increase in the overseas resource development loan budget to KRW 67.5 billion and the creation of a rare earth R&D fund. Additional measures include resource diplomacy, public risk sharing, rare-earth reduction technologies, permanent magnet recycling and expanded public stockpiling.
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Colombia 2023 Executive summary
Colombia has emerged as a leader in clean energy transition policy making and is an inspiring example of a fossil fuel producing country committed to climate action, based on a long-term decarbonisation pathway and a policy of energy and economic diversification and a just transition.In the context of the National Energy Plan 2020-2050, launched in 2016, Colombia started a journey to diversify its energy resources and ensure a reliable energy supply by promoting wind, solar and geothermal in the country’s electricity mix.At COP26, Colombia presented a net zero target and an ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution…
