Gahee Han, Power Market and Grid Head at SFOC, said it was surprising that East and Southeast Asia face similar challenges in ensuring equal grid access for renewable energy. (Photo: Solutions for Our Climate )
Asian governments are accelerating electrification, expanding renewable energy, and investing in power grids, while fast-growing electricity demand from AI data centers and manufacturing industries is putting additional pressure on already burdened power systems.
Asian groups call for fairer grid access
Organizations from South Korea, Australia, India, Indonesia and the Philippines gathered in Bangkok on Jan. 5 for a workshop hosted by Solutions for Our Climate (SFOC) to examine shared issues to renewable energy integration and explore opportunities for fair grid access and power market reform.
Participants argued that advanced Asian economies like South Korea and Japan are still lagging behind in the energy transition, not because of limited resources or capital investment in grid infrastructure, but because outdated power systems and market rules still favor conventional fossil fuels generation, making it harder to integrate larger amounts of renewable electricity.
Renewable energy projects across many Asian countries are delayed in connecting to the grid, while some projects have been curtailed because power systems cannot absorb their output. At the same time, energy storage and demand response resources that can help balance variable renewable generation are not yet fully integrated into electricity markets.
The problem is not simply whether countries can build more transmission infrastructure, but whether their power systems are designed to give renewable energy fair and transparent access to the grid.
Grid integration emerges as a regional challenge
South Korea is one example. The Lee Jae Myung administration has made grid expansion a key part of its energy policy through the "Energy Highway" initiative, alongside plans to expand renewable energy capacity to more than 100 GW by 2030.
However, additional transmission capacity alone may not resolve delays in connecting renewable energy projects to the grid.
In Chungcheong Province, where half of South Korea’s coal fleet are located, offshore wind development is being pursued as part of efforts to replace the area’s aging coal fleet, but grid access is not expected to become available until at least 2032.
The case highlights a potential conflict of interest in South Korea’s power system, as state-owned Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) controls grid access, which critics say has contributed to bottlenecks for renewable energy projects.
The problem is not simply whether countries can build more transmission infrastructure, but whether their power systems are shaped by the interests of fossil fuel incumbents.
During the workshop, organizations from India, Indonesia, and the Philippines highlighted similar obstacles. While the institutional and market structures differ across Asia,renewable energy developers in several markets face similar challenges in connecting, dispatching and integrating new generation into power systems.
Gahee Han, Power Market and Grid Head at SFOC said, "It’s surprising to see that East Asia and Southeast Asia are sharing core issues - unequal grid access for renewable energy - leaving fossil-fuel generation protected while renewables face delays or curtailment. That is a question for countries across Asia, and countries must keep at the center of grid reform."
Reforms to biased grid access are urgently needed alongside investment in new transmission infrastructure in Asia. Furthermore, Asia should tackle the conflict of interests deeply rooted in the power sector in the longer term.
The workshop brought together civil society organizations to compare country experiences and identify common barriers to renewable energy integration. Participants also discussed the underlying causes behind them and began identifying shared priorities for civil society's advocacy, which will inform a regional mapping of grid integration barriers and future opportunities for coordinated action.
