Southeast Asia on Track to Become a Major Energy Consumer, Impacting Clean Energy Transition

While southeast Asia’s demand for energy is set to exceed that of the EU, it carries a risk of CO2 emissions growing even faster, a report warns.

Wind turbines stand behind visitors at Gaomei wetland during sunset in Taichung, Taiwan on Aug. 22, 2024. Annabelle Chih/Getty Images

Southeast Asia is on course to account for a quarter of the world’s energy demand growth between now and 2035, second only to India and more than double the region’s growth since 2010.

Further, by mid-century, energy demand in the region is set to overtake that of the European Union. That also means that energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are set to increase by 35 percent over the same period.