BANGKOK — Southeast Asia is on track to vastly expand its gas-fired power plant and liquid natural gas import capacity, threatening its green energy transition, a report warned Thursday.The region's existing plans project a doubling of gas-fired power capacity and an 80-percent increase in LNG import capacity, said Global Energy Monitor , a US-based nongovernmental organization.
But the area already has enough large-scale solar and wind capacity in development to cover nearly two-thirds of the projected increase in energy demand by 2030, GEM added.It acknowledged, however, that renewables potential is unevenly distributed across the region, with some countries better placed to harness wind or solar than others.And grid infrastructure regionally is also a barrier, with upgrades needed to facilitate renewable integration.