Siemen, UK govt among foreign players keen on Asean power sector

Despite the global economic slowdown, power-generation companies say they foresee further growth in Asean countries fuelled by the rise of industrialisation in line with an increased demand for renewable energy. 

Siemens is among the leading European providers of power-generation technology that aim to transfer their know-how to this growing region.

Markus Lorenzini, head of the energy sector for Siemens’ Asean-Pacific cluster, said yesterday that there was more room to grow in this industry though many companies in other sectors were affected by the sluggish global economy. 

“The key driving factors for this industry in Asean countries are large populations here in line with the growth of urbanisation and industrialisation,” Lorenzini said.

He projected that by 2030, urbanised areas would average about 60 per cent of total habitable areas in each Asean country, up from 45 per cent now.

Siemens, a German multinational engineering and electronics conglomerate, aims to provide technology and equipment supporting power generation both from fossil fuels and renewal sources. 

Asean is a very important market for the company. Of total income in energy business, 10 per cent comes from this region.

Apart from the private sector, the British government has also been collaborating with the Thai government and local companies on power generation, particularly in new technologies and innovative ways of generating electricity.

Mark Kent, British ambassador to Thailand, said this endeavour offered significant collaborative opportunities for the UK and Thailand. 

“The strengths of the UK’s power sector extend across the operation and maintenance of fossil-fuel, nuclear, renewable and hydro generating plants as well as transmission, distribution and metering systems,” Kent said. 

On renewables, the ambassador said his country had comprehensive capability, including in solar, biomass and hydro. In the wind-power sector, Britain has the largest offshore installed capacity in the world and has leading-edge capability in critical areas such as wind-turbine design and condition monitoring. 

Thailand faces an increasing shortfall in energy supply over the next 10 years. Demand in 2021 is anticipated to reach 44,200 megawatts. With current capacity of around 30,000MW, Kent said Thailand would either have to accelerate exploration and production in new oil and gas blocks including the Overlapping Claims Area with Cambodia, import more energy, or invest more heavily in renewable energy.

British power companies already play a major role in the global development and management of power-generative capacity. The UK’s power sector has an annual turnover equivalent to nearly Bt4.9 trillion, of which more than Bt190 billion a year is in exported goods and services to more than 100 countries.

To open more windows in Thailand and elsewhere in the region for overseas power-generation firms, UK-based PennWell Corporation will hold the 21st “POWER-GEN Asia and Renewable Energy World Asia” fair from October 2-4 at Impact Exhibition and Convention Centre in Bangkok. 

The organiser expects to welcome more than 7,000 energy-industry delegates from over the world. Under the “Advancing Asia’s Energy Future” theme, this year’s event aims to be a key forum and platform for leaders in the energy sector.