RECCESSARY’s “ASEAN Weekly” highlights Southeast Asia’s new energy and carbon market updates. (Image: RECCESSARY)
This week in ASEAN, Thailand’s supply chain decarbonization challenge came into focus as global brands accelerate carbon requirements. Asia Sustainable Energy Week in Bangkok highlighted rising demand for solar, storage and data center energy solutions driven by AI and electrification. Meanwhile, Thailand’s new power plan signals a long-term shift toward cleaner electricity, even as industries face mounting pressure to secure green power. Below are ASEAN’s key stories from June 29 to July 5.
RECCESSARY Thailand seminar shows how early decarbonization cuts costs before CBAM bites
Global brands are turning decarbonization into a condition of doing business in Thailand, forcing manufacturers that once treated carbon reporting as paperwork to see it as a competitiveness issue.
At a RECCESSARY seminar in Bangkok on July 2, “Green Resilience: Global Decarbonization Competition & Strategic Positioning in Thailand’s Supply Chain,” industry representatives and experts said Thailand’s supply chain faces a widening gap between global buyer expectations and clean energy procurement limits. Read more here
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RECCESSARY’s Bangkok seminar discussed how Thailand’s supply chains are navigating global buyer expectations and clean energy procurement constraints. (Photo: RECCESSARY)
Asia Sustainable Energy Week in Bangkok spotlights rooftop solar, data centers and EV charging
Asia Sustainable Energy Week (ASEW), held in Bangkok from July 1 to 3, brought together more than 350 exhibitors across solar development, battery storage, grid equipment, EV charging infrastructure, and data center energy solutions. Chinese companies had the strongest presence on the show floor, while Taiwanese firms used the event to assess how Thailand’s clean energy market is taking shape. Read more here
Thailand’s new PDP sets 60% clean power goal as firms seek fairer access to renewables
Thailand is finalizing a new Power Development Plan covering 2026 to 2050, setting a 60% clean electricity target by mid-century as the government tries to balance energy security, affordability, and rising corporate demand for renewable power.
The plan is expected to complete an inter-agency review before a public hearing in August. It comes as Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reaches his first 100 days in office, a period shaped by fuel price volatility and renewed pressure on Thailand to reduce its exposure to imported energy. Read more here
Thai farmers fear water woes from planned LNG plant
Farmers in Thailand’s Chachoengsao province worry a planned 600 MW LNG power plant could increase water shortages and air pollution in an area already facing recurring drought.
Despite strong reserves, the government is proceeding with plans to build a third LNG terminal, even though imports aren’t expected to exceed the annual capacity of the existing two terminals. Chachoengsao already has more than 30 power plants. Last year, authorities postponed Burapa’s opening from 2027 to 2029, fearing an oversupply of electricity. Read more here
Thailand’s PCB boom: Why renewable power is becoming the next competitive hurdle
Thailand has become ASEAN’s largest PCB production base, attracting more than THB 200 billion (USD 6.1 billion) in investment across 180 projects since 2022. As global electronics companies place greater emphasis on supply chain decarbonization, access to renewable electricity is becoming an increasingly important factor in sustaining the country's competitive advantage.
The investment boom has been driven by supply chain diversification and rising demand for AI servers, electric vehicles, and advanced electronics, drawing Taiwanese, Chinese, and Japanese manufacturers to expand production in Thailand. Yet securing renewable electricity is proving more difficult than attracting new investment. Read more here
Thailand auto parts makers face EV transition as carbon rules reshape supplier competitiveness
Thailand’s auto parts industry is facing a transition that is both technological and environmental, with each pressure reshaping what it means to remain competitive as a supplier.
The technological shift is already visible in the customer base. The Japanese OEMs that anchored Thailand’s auto supply chain for decades are reducing capacity, while Chinese EV manufacturers are building local production under the EV3 and EV3.5 incentive schemes.
At the same time, automakers are pushing greenhouse gas disclosure and reduction requirements deeper into their supplier networks, and the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is beginning to raise the cost of carbon-intensive materials such as steel and aluminum. Read more here
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Thai auto parts suppliers face rising pressure to retool for EV production while investing in renewable electricity, energy efficiency and carbon management. (Photo: iStock)
Why Vietnam needs both concrete and nature to fight floods
Flooding is becoming one of Vietnam’s most pressing environmental and economic challenges. According to the World Bank, floods and other climate-related disasters cost Vietnam an estimated 1 to 1.5 per cent of GDP annually, with these losses expected to rise as climate risks intensify.
Across the country, rising sea levels, more intense rainfall and rapid urbanisation are increasing pressure on existing flood protection systems. These systems include floodwalls, levees, drainage networks, embankments and tidal flood-control gates, many of which are increasingly strained by rapid urbanisation and climate change. Read more here
A possible strong El Niño fuels fears for fires across Indonesian tropical peatlands
An emerging El Niño risks fueling devastating wildfires on peatland areas in Borneo earmarked by Indonesia’s government about six years ago for a flagship food estate program, environmentalists have warned. The warning comes as Indonesia braces for heightened fire risk during the current dry season.
“What we are most concerned about is the rice paddy cultivation activity that is being carried out on peatlands,” said Janang Palanungkai, who runs the Central Kalimantan office of Indonesia’s largest environmental group, Walhi. Read more here
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