[Ferro-Alloys.com] Elsewhere in Asia, affordability and security of energy supply top the energy policy priorities for Southeast Asian governments, according to a special report on the region published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) last year. This means that policy and investment decisions to be taken over the coming years will result in a spectacular growth in coal-fired power plant generation capacity – from 25 GW today to 160 GW in 2035. These capacity additions will increase regional demand for coal by 300%, according to the IEA report. Most of the new coal-fired power plants are expected to be built in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines; in these countries thermal coal demand will grow by 113 million tce until 2018, with 7.3% average growth per year.

Energy security is also a key concern for Japan. This year Japan will review its basic plan for energy, which will define the role of various energy fuels and technologies in the country’s long- term energy mix. As of January 2014, all 48 nuclear reactors in Japan were still shut down, among which 16 were being examined for potential reopening. “The current generation capacity available is insufficient to meet the expected maxi- mum demand of electricity during peak season,” says Shintaro Yokowawa, deputy general manager at the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan. He has argued that coal and clean coal technologies will have to play an important role in the new document, delivering an affordable and secure energy mix in Japan.

• [Editor:Yueleilei]