Southeast Asia's oil demand is set to increase to 7mn b/d in 2050 under current policies, according to the IEA's latest Southeast Asia Energy Outlook released today.
Oil demand in the southeast Asian region is set to rise from 5mn b/d in 2023 to 6.4mn b/d in 2035, and to 7mn b/d in 2050. This is a downward revision from the IEA's previous outlook in 2022, which projected oil demand rising to about 7mn b/d in 2030 and 7.5mn b/d in 2050.
The IEA's stated policies scenario (Steps) is based on countries' existing policies, while the announced pledges scenario (APS) assumes that governments meet all their national energy and climate targets, including long-term net zero goals. Under the APS, oil demand continues to grow but to a lesser extent to 5.2mn b/d in 2035, and then falls to 3.8mn b/d in 2050.
The transport sector is the main driver of the region's increase in oil demand, with oil consumption in that sector more than doubling from 1.3mn b/d in 2000 to 2.8mn b/d currently. Under current policies and trends, gasoline and diesel consumption for road transport rises by around 30pc by 2050, reaching nearly 1.6mn b/d.
The region's gas demand is projected to rise from around 170bn m³ currently, to around 210bn m³ in 2030 and about 270bn m³ in 2050. This compared to the IEA's 2022 projections of 240bn m³ in 2030 and about 340bn m³ in 2050.
Gas demand has increased by 5pc since 2022, according to the IEA. This recovery comes after a 4pc fall in demand over 2019-22, resulting from Covid-19 and a rise in LNG prices following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Overall energy demand is expected to rise by "about a third by 2035 and two-thirds by 2050," according to the IEA, with just under half of this demand growth to be met by fossil fuels. Under the APS, energy demand grows to a smaller extent of around 40pc to 2050, reflecting accelerated improvements in efficiency, electrification and fuel switching.
The share of fossil fuels in the total energy mix falls from 78pc currently to 65pc in 2050. This is lower than the 2022 outlook's projection that fossil fuels would make up more than 70pc of the energy mix in 2050.
The downward revisions in fossil fuel demand and their share in the energy mix is likely because renewables are set to grow rapidly in the region. Renewable energy already accounts for just under 20pc of the region's energy mix, through hydropower, geothermal and bioenergy. Clean energy is set to meet more than 35pc of energy demand growth to 2035 under the Steps scenario, because of rapid expansions in wind and solar power.
IEA's growing presence in southeast Asia
The IEA and Singapore inaugurated the IEA Regional Co-operation Centre on 21 October — the first office outside of the organisation's Paris headquarters. The centre will serve as a hub for IEA's activities and engagement in the region, so the organisation can provide policy guidance, technical assistance, training and capacity-building to address areas such as scaling up the deployment of renewables and increasing access to finance for clean energy investments.
Southeast Asia is projected to be second only to India in the contribution to global energy demand growth over the coming years, said IEA's chief energy economist Tim Gould on 22 October at the Singapore International Energy Week. This is why the new regional center is so important, he added.
Cross-border electricity trade, in particular, is going to be a high priority, Gould said. "A key work, from an IEA perspective, is to make those opportunities to bring in the private sector and different sources of finance for these projects," he added.
