Study of future power interconnection scheme in ASEAN

1 Introduction

For many decades,energy development in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region relied heavily on fossil fuels [1].However,sustainable development of energy faces serious obstacles,as the power demand in this region has increased rapidly in recent years.

According to the current status of development,the proven reserve of coal,oil,and gas can last for 62,10,and 17 years,respectively in the ASEAN region [1],which is far below those of the rest of the world,namely 153,51,and 53 years,respectively [2].The overall energy consumption in the region is projected to increase by a factor of 1.8 to 2.4 by 2040 according to the 5th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO5) [1],and by a factor of 2 to 4 by 2050 according to the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Economic Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) [3].Cambodia,Malaysia,and Thailand will face an extreme shortage of fossil fuel in the future,which has negative social and economic consequences.

Furthermore,in 2015,approximately 107 million people had no access to electricity in the ASEAN region [4],and it is expected that electricity demand will increase rapidly in the future.In some developing areas,many people still depend on burning wood and biomass for cooking and heating,which poses significant health risks.In the ASEAN region,Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) and Myanmar are the largest consumers of biomass for cooking and heating.The biomass consumptions in these countries represent 41% and 44% of the total energy consumption,respectively [4,5].

Besides,the production,transportation,storage,and use of fossil fuel lead to significant environmental pollution [6-8].Consequently,air pollution,water pollution,and stratigraphic change become more likely,posing significant risks to people [9-11].The ASEAN region is one of the main areas affected by global warming,as rising sea level increases pressure on island countries in this region.

To address the challenges of fossil fuel shortages,growing energy demand,and climate change in the ASEAN region,the current trajectory requires a transition to renewable energy.Fortunately,the region has abundant clean energy sources.Table 1 presents the potential of different clean energy sources in the ASEAN region [1].

Table1 Potential of clean energy sources in the ASEAN region [12]

Biomass Geothermal Hydro Solar Tidal Wind(GW) (GW) (GW) (kWh/m2/day) (GW) (GW)ASEAN 37.7 33.29 240.97 3.15-5.55 219.2 ＞ 87 Brunei Darussalam — 0.07 400-500 W/m2 0.000335 5 m/s Cambodia — 10 5 ＞ 5 m/s Indonesia 32.6 28.9 75 4.8 49 3-6 m/s Lao PDR1.20.05263.6-5.3—3-6 m/s Malaysia 0.6 29 4.5 0.5-4.6 kW/m 1.2-4.1 m/s Myanmar4.2 Mton/year 40.45—4 Philippines 0.24 4 10.5 5 170 76 Singapore 0 3.15 300-600 GWh/year 0 Thailand2.5 155-5.55—5.3-6.4 Vietnam 0.56 0.34 35 4-5 0.2 7

The table highlights the abundant potential of clean energy sources in the region,particularly hydropower.However,several obstacles impede the implementation of renewable technology in the ASEAN region.Although many countries in the region have abundant clean energy resources such as hydro,geothermal,and solar,these energy sources are located far from demand centers,creating a geographical mismatch between energy supply and demand [4,5].For example,in the Indo-China Peninsula,the undeveloped hydropower potential is mostly available in Myanmar and Lao PDR,whereas the main load center is in Thailand and Vietnam.Therefore,power exchange among different countries in the ASEAN region is essential for sustainable development.

The interconnection of power among member countries in the ASEAN region and between the region and other surrounding countries can improve the utilization of clean energy technology and lower generation costs.Moreover,the foundation for long-distance and large-scale power transportation is both technically and economically feasible,as high voltage and ultra-high voltage (UHV) transmission technology can be used to transport electricity of several gigawatts to several kilometers [13-16].Therefore,the construction of grid interconnection is crucial to the development of clean energy technology in the ASEAN region.

In this study,power demand and supply forecasts in the ASEAN region were investigated based on the current status of power development.Then,the power exchange potential was determined based on power demand and supply projection,as well as the resource potential.Finally,the future architecture of power sector interconnection in the ASEAN region was proposed based on existing and emerging technologies as well as the current and past energy trends,and the benefits were analyzed.The key purpose of this paper is through a scientific approach,giving out a reasonable and efficient way of clean development for the ASEAN region.

Unlike other studies on the energy and power sectors of the ASEAN region,this study has several special features.First,the study area is larger.The study area in this research includes neighboring countries such as Bangladesh,China,and India as our focus is on the interconnection of various countries in the ASEAN region.The inclusion of neighboring countries allows for more efficient allocation of renewable energy,thus improving the supply and sustainability of energy in these countries.Second,this study considered power sector development and interconnections simultaneously.We considered the development of a generation mix and interconnection schemes simultaneously to maximize the share of renewable energy.Furthermore,the comprehensive benefits of grid interconnection were thoroughly analyzed,including social,economic,resource,and environmental benefits.

2 Research philosophy for grid Interconnection in ASEAN

The overall research process for ASEAN grid interconnection is illustrated in Fig.1.As shown in the figure,the first step is forecasting of power demand taking into consideration the current status and outlook of the ASEAN region.The next step is planning of the installed capacity and power exchange potential,which is of vital importance to maximize the clean energy utilization and allocation.The installed capacity planning was performed based on the power demand and resource potential.The power exchange potential was also evaluated based on forecasts for power demand and installed capacity,and was subsequently used to modify the installed capacity planning.Next,a suitable grid interconnection scheme is proposed based on the current status of the power grid in the ASEAN region and outcome of planning of the installed capacity and power exchange,which promotes clean energy utilization and contributes to sustainable development in the region.

Fig.1 Overall research process

3 Power demand forecasting ＆ planning of the installed capacity and power exchange potential

3.1 Power demand forecasting

3.1.1 Method of power demand forecasting

The overall concept of power demand forecasting is to identify the objectives,collect relevant information,and apply scientific and effective forecasting methods.The basic process is shown in Fig.2.

First,the objectives of the load forecast should be formulated,including the time span,the scope,and the targeted objects of the forecast.Second,information relevant to the forecast is collected,including economic and social development progress and future planning,electricity demand,and load characteristics.Third,a suitable prediction method is applied.In general,algorithms such as the power elasticity coefficient algorithm,the electricity consumption per capita algorithm,and the regression method are preferentially selected.Moreover,a comprehensive prediction method that combines several predicting methods can be employed based on Dempster-Shafer evidence theory [17-20].

The demand forecasting outcomes from different prediction methods are indicated as Wij,where i and j indicate the selected prediction method and the target year,respectively.The real value is indicated as Cij.The belief function can be expressed as follows using the approach described in [19,20]:

where N indicates the number of prediction methods used.In this study,three basic prediction methods were used,namely the power elasticity coefficient algorithm,the electricity consumption per capita algorithm,and the regression method; thus,N = 3.The Dempster combination rule [20] was used for the selected load prediction method.The combination of the joint masses for adjacent target years can be expressed as:

Fig.2 Basic flow chart of power demand forecasting

The combined masses can be derived by integrating (2) by merging two adjacent masses in order; the weights w for different prediction methods are derived as follows:

The derived weights for the power elasticity coefficient algorithm,the electricity consumption per capita algorithm,and the regression method are 26%,39%,and 35%,respectively.Finally,the prediction outcome of power demand using a combination of three prediction methods can be determined.

3.1.2 Result of power demand forecasting

The result of power demand forecasting of different countries in the ASEAN region obtained using a combination of power demand forecasting methods is shown in Fig.3 and Fig.4.The total power demand in the region will rapidly increase to 2,000 TWh by 2035.The total power demand in 2015 was 800 TWh [1],indicating an annual power demand growth rate of nearly 5% from 2015 to 2035 in the region.The power demand is mostly concentrated in Indonesia,Vietnam,and Thailand,and the total power demand in these three countries would be approximately 1,400 TWh,accounting for 70% of the total power demand in the ASEAN region.The annual growth rate in Myanmar,Lao PDR,and Cambodia would reach 10.5%,9.3%,and 8.6%,respectively,which are higher than the average power growth rate of 5% in the ASEAN region.Moreover,the total power demand forecast obtained in this study is comparable with that reported in [1],namely 2050 TWh in 2035,indicating the effectiveness of the proposed power demand forecasting method.

Fig.3 Power demand forecast in 2035

The total power demand in the ASEAN region will reach 3,200 TWh in 2050,with an annual growth rate of nearly 3% from 2035 to 2050.The power demand would also be mostly concentrated in Indonesia,Vietnam,and Thailand,and the total power demand in these three countries would be approximately 2,200 TWh,accounting for nearly 70% of the total power demand in the region.Furthermore,the annual growth rate in Cambodia,Myanmar,and Lao PDR would also surpass the average power growth rate in the region.

Fig.4 Power demand forecast in 2050

3.2 Planning of the installed capacity and power exchange potential

3.2.1 Model for planning of the installed capacity and power exchange potential

To meet the rapid increase in power demand in a sustainable way,large scale utilization of clean energy is needed.However,the geographical mismatch between the location of clean energy and the load center is a major obstacle impeding the implementation of renewables in the ASEAN region.To address this problem,a model for evaluating the installed capacity and power exchange potential is proposed,which consists of three main steps,as shown in Fig.5.

Fig.5 Flow chart for evaluating the installed capacity and power exchange potential

The first step is regional optimal power planning.The focus of the regional optimal power planning is to utilize renewable power as much as possible based on the available potential as well as the power demand in this region.The scale of clean energy and other energy sources is determined to evaluate the installed capacity.

The key parameters and constraints in step 1 are that the intensity of clean energy development is set to a high level to promote its development.The intensity of clean energy development is the ratio of power generation from a certain clean energy technology to its exploitable potential.By 2050,the planned intensity of solar,wind,and hydro power development will reach 15%～20%,and greater than 50%,respectively.

The second step is to determine the power exchange based on planning of the installed capacity and the power demand forecast.It aims to optimize clean energy allocation in a larger region,including China and South Asia,instead of only in the ASEAN region.The output of step 2 is the optimized power exchange potential based on planning of a specific regional installed capacity.The key parameters and constraints in step 2 are that in a country that imports power from other countries,the ratio of power trade to the total power generation in that particular country should be less than 25% by 2050.

The third step is the power system generation simulation.The input to step 3 is the estimated installed capacity and power exchange potential obtained from step 1 and step 2.The main goal of the simulation is to minimize the total cost of power supply and improve the share of clean energy through large scale allocation within the entire region and between ASEAN,China,and South Asia.A joint multi-sub-objective optimization comprising five parts was used in the simulation.The first sub-objective is aimed at minimizing the curtailed power generated from nonhydro clean energy sources,such as solar and wind energy.The second sub-objective is to maximize power generation as well as the spare capacity of conventional hydropower station to optimize its operation.The third sub-objective is to maximize power generation as well as the spare capacity of pumped storage power station.The fourth sub-objective is aimed at optimizing the maintenance process of the power generator in order to minimize surplus power.The final sub-objective is to minimize the cost of electricity from thermal power station,mainly used for peak regulation,thus minimizing surplus power and power deficiency.The optimization function can be expressed as follows using these sub-objectives:

where m is the month indicator,ranging from 1 to 12,F(P) is the total cost of power supply,EWQ and EHQ are the curtailed power from non-hydro renewable energy sources and hydropower,respectively,and EQ is the sum of EWQ and are the maximum power generation of the conventional hydropower station and pumped storage power station,respectively.PAm is the generation of nuclear power station in the mth month,and RHm and RPm are the spare capacities of the conventional hydropower station and pumped storage power station,respectively.TE is the expected hours of power generation from different power stations.ΔE and ΔPm are the total electricity deficiency and total surplus electricity,respectively.nmn is the number of generators that require maintenance in the mth month.

Basically,the multi-sub-objective optimization solving process is difficult and complicated,thus the method of prioritizing the goals is used in this paper.For example,make the most use of solar and wind power is at the first priority,and effective use of hydro power is at the second priority,and then the nuclear power is at the third priority.The detailed method for solving Fomula (4) is described in [21-25].Power production was simulated based on the algorithm of the power system generation simulation,including optimization of the power system operation and the level of solar and wind curtailment.The planning scheme needs to pass the power and electricity balance check.If the scheme accepts the pre-set constraints,the evaluated installed capacity and power exchange potential are finally displayed as the baseline for power interconnection planning.Otherwise,the installed capacity planning and power exchange potential need to be modified accordingly to meet the requirements.

The key parameters and constraints in step 3 are as follows:

(1) Power and electricity balance should be achieved at both the regional and entire area level.

(2) The constraints of curtailed wind and solar power are less than 10% of its total generation.

(3) The annual operation hours of the cross-border exchange channel are 5,000～5,500 h.

(4) The power spare capacity is set to 10%～20% of the peak load.

(5) The available capacity of river hydro power in wet season and dry season are set to 80%～90% and 40%～50% of the installed capacity,respectively.

(6) The available capacity of the nuclear power plant is set to 90%～100% of the installed capacity.

(7) The available capacity of the thermal power plant is set to 70%～90% of the installed capacity.

(8) The available capacities of wind power and solar power are set to 5%～30% and 20%～30% of the installed capacity,considering wind and PV fluctuations,solar thermal technology development,as well as refinement of the output prediction.

3.2.2 Results of installed capacity and power exchange potential evaluation

After performing the calculation process shown in Fig.5,the optimized installed capacity and power exchange potential is derived.Results show that in 2035,the total installed capacity would reach 0.7 TW,whereas the installed capacity of clean energy and thermal power would be 0.47 TW and 0.23 TW,accounting for 67% and 33% of the total installed capacity,respectively.Furthermore,the installed capacity of hydropower would be 0.14 TW,and the installed capacities of solar and wind would be 0.15 TW and 0.13 TW,respectively.The installed capacities of geothermal,biomass,and nuclear would be 10 GW,30 GW,and 10 GW,respectively.

In 2050,the total installed capacity would reach 1.19 TW,whereas the installed capacity of clean energy would be 0.85 TW,accounting for 72% of the total installed capacity.Furthermore,the installed capacity of hydropower would be 0.24 TW,and the installed capacities of solar and wind would be 0.28 TW and 0.24 TW,respectively.The installed capacities of geothermal,biomass,and nuclear would be 20 GW,60 GW,and 10 GW,respectively.

By 2035,electricity generation from clean energy would become the dominant power supply,surpassing that of fossil fuels.Fig.6 shows electricity generation from different sources.The total electricity generation from clean energy is 1,100 TWh in 2035,accounting for 55% of the total electricity generation.The total electricity generation from clean energy would increase to 1,900 TWh by 2050,accounting for 62% of the total electricity generation.Unlike in existing studies,the utilization of clean energy in the ASEAN region is maximized in the present study based on coordinated development of clean energy and grid interconnection.Therefore,the rapid increase in power demand in this region can be met in a sustainable way using renewable technology.

Fig.6 Planned power generation mix in ASEAN region (TWh)

The result of evaluating the power exchange potential shows that in 2035,the ASEAN region will reach a state in which power supply and demand are almost balanced at the regional level.There is significant cross-border power trade potential between Cambodia,Lao PDR,Myanmar,Thailand,and Vietnam (CLMTV),which essentially corresponds to the upper west system of the ASEAN Power Grid (APG).Myanmar and Lao PDR are exporters of electricity,whereas Thailand and Vietnam are importers of electricity.

Fig.7 shows results of the power exchange analysis in the ASEAN region in 2035.The direction of CLMTV’s power exchange is from north to south.Kalimantan Island will gradually begin to act as an energy supply center,providing Malaysia with 3 GW and the Philippines with 3 GW annually.

The scale and the direction of power exchange vary in wet and dry seasons.In wet seasons,Malaysia and Thailand have an electricity exchange of 500 MW.In dry seasons,this increases to 1 GW.The results also show that the ASEAN region as a hub can exchange power with China at a peak value of 6.5 GW in wet seasons and 11 GW in dry seasons from Yunnan,China.Furthermore,the ASEAN region can deliver 3 GW to Bangladesh.

Fig.7 ASEAN region power exchange potential in 2035 (Unit:GW)

In 2050,the CLMTV is projected to have surplus power in wet season but power shortage in dry season,indicating the need to balance the mismatch through enhanced interconnections.Myanmar and Lao PDR will have surplus power,whereas Thailand,Vietnam,the Philippines,and Singapore will have power shortage.

Fig.8 shows the international power exchange in 2050.

Fig.8 ASEAN region power exchange potential in 2050 (Unit:GW)

The direction of CLMTV’s power exchange is from north to south.CLMTV would receive 26 GW from China and deliver 3 GW and 8 GW to Bangladesh and India,respectively in dry seasons.In wet seasons,the ASEAN region would deliver 11 GW to China and another 11 GW to Bangladesh and India.Thus,the ASEAN region and China complement each other during different seasons.CLMTV would deliver 4 GW to Malaysia through Thailand.The power exchange in the region of Brunei,Indonesia,Malaysia,Philippines,and Singapore (BIMPS) will be further enhanced.Electricity import by the Philippines will increase to 6 GW and the net electricity export of Indonesia will be 6 GW.

Power exchange between the ASEAN region,China,Bangladesh,and other neighboring countries makes it possible for the ASEAN region to become an interconnection hub,which brings additional benefits such as economic benefits to ASEAN member countries.Lao PDR and Myanmar could earn wheeling charges by transmitting power from China to other countries.In the long term,these countries could also deliver power to China and countries in South Asia.Furthermore,power exchange with China could provide extra system reserve for Lao PDR,Myanmar,and Vietnam to improve the grid operation reliability of these countries.

4 Prospects of power interconnection scheme for ASEAN

A power interconnection scheme is proposed between the ASEAN region and surrounding countries based on analysis of the power exchange potential and taking the power exchange plans between different countries as shown in Table 2 into account.Power interconnection is the key to addressing renewable resource mismatches due to geographical location and temporal variations.It would enable sharing of clean energy among ASEAN member countries and surrounding countries.

Table2 Regional power interconnection willingness

Countries Bilateral/multilateral power interconnection plans Send up to 9 GW from Lao People’s Democratic Republic to Thailand before 2035 and 5GW from Lao People’s Democratic Republic to Vietnam.Indonesia,Malaysia Establish interconnection between Sumatra and Malacca States.China,Lao PDR,Myanmar,Vietnam Exchange electrical power between each other.China,Myanmar,Bangladesh Lao PDR,Thailand,Vietnam The agreement on electric power trade is under way.

4.1 Power interconnection scheme in 2035

The ASEAN grids can be classified into two interconnected blocks,namely the CLMTV and BIMPS blocks.In CLMTV,multiple international 500 kV transmission channels would be formed to establish a synchronous AC grid and transmitted by one cross-border DC system to enable power transmission from the Salween hydro power station and the Mekong drainage basin to Thailand.BIMPS consists of three synchronous power grids,covering the Malay Peninsula,Singapore and Sumatra in Indonesia,Java,Kalimantan,and the Philippines.The three synchronous power grids are connected by an East Malaysia-the Philippines DC submarine cable,and an East Malaysia-West Malaysia DC submarine cable.CLMTV and BIMPS are connected through the 500 kV double circuit between Thailand and Malaysia.

In the neighboring countries,the ASEAN region connects with Yunnan,China through three back-to-back DC systems and one DC system.Furthermore,the ASEAN region connects with South Asia in the west using a DC transmission system,as illustrated in Fig.9.

Within the ASEAN region,two regional backbone interconnection channels are proposed.In CLMTV,the Salween-Yangon-Bangkok ±660 kV multi-terminal DC system (illustrated as ① in Fig.9) is proposed with a capacity of 4 GW.Yangon and Bangkok converter stations will receive 2 GW separately.

Fig.9 ASEAN power interconnection scheme in 2035

In BIMPS,two main backbone systems are proposed.The Sarawak,Malaysia hydro power base and the Kalimantan,Indonesia clean energy base will transmit their power to a 500 kV power grid and send 3 GW power to the Philippines through the Sabah,Malaysia-Palawan,Philippines-Mindoro,Philippines ±500 kV three-terminal DC transmission system,which will export clean energy from North Kalimantan (illustrated as ③ in Fig.9).In this case,Palawan Island will receive 1 GW,whereas Mindoro will receive 2 GW.Besides,interconnection will be achieved by constructing a ±500 kV DC system across the sea between East Malaysia and West Malaysia (illustrated as ④ in Fig.9).The Kalimantan to Surabaya (or Bali) ±500 kV DC system could be considered as alternative system to export power from North Kalimantan.

Furthermore,two corridors connecting the ASEAN region and neighboring countries are proposed.The first corridor is the ASEAN-China corridor.Three DC backto-back systems will be constructed to address power deficiencies among the CLMTV countries.The designed capacity should be 2 GW,with an initial phase of 1 GW.Considering the progress of hydropower development in Yunnan,China,the Yunnan-Ho Chi Minh ±660 kV DC system (illustrated as ② in Fig.9) will have a capacity of 4 GW.The second corridor is the ASEAN-South Asia corridor.A ±660 kV multi-terminal China-Myanmar-Bangladesh DC transmission system (illustrated as ⑤ in Fig.9) will be constructed with a capacity of 4 GW.

4.2 Power interconnection scheme in 2050

With further development of clean energy and technology,a larger transmission capacity is recommended in 2050 to enable power exchange in clean energy among CLMTV countries.Therefore,CLMTV could build UHV power grids connecting major clean energy bases and load centers to deal with the problem of geographical and temporal variations.BIMPS should maintain three major synchronous power grids.In Indonesia,a UHV power grid could be constructed in Java and Sumatra.

In the neighboring countries,the ASEAN power grid could connect with China using UHVDC technology in an asynchronous manner,which pursues progressive development of renewable energy,exchange of power with northern China should be enhanced to realize the complementarity of resources with China in different seasons.Thus,two UHVDC transmission lines could be built to enhance the capability of power exchange and increase the exchange capacity to 26 GW.

The major channels are shown in Fig.10.CLMTV could construct a UHV backbone grid with three horizontal and three vertical corridors.The six corridors generally intersect and connect to each other.The vertical corridor on the west side and the horizontal corridor on the north side are responsible for connecting Myanmar and Lao PDR hydro power plants to the grid system and delivering the power to the east and south.The two corridors,which intersect in the middle,are designed for inter-regional power exchange.The last two corridors,namely the vertical corridor on the east side and the horizontal corridor on the south side,are responsible for distributing and balancing power within the grid.In BIMPS,Sumatra and Java,Indonesia need to construct a 1,000 kV UHV interconnection.Kalimantan,Indonesia and the Philippines need to have two transmission corridors to accommodate the projected power exchange.Thus,the transmission capacity will increase to 4 GW by strengthening the transmission corridor between CLMTV and BIMPS.

In BIMPS,clean energy power in Sarawak,Malaysia and Kalimantan will be further developed,bundling hydro,solar,and thermal power in the central area.A ±500 kV transmission system is proposed from Kalimantan,Indonesia to Mindanao,Philippines.In addition,power would be transmitted from Kalimantan,Indonesia and Sarawak,Malaysia to the load center in northern Philippines by constructing a ±500 kV DC transmission system from Sabah,Malaysia to Sabrayan,Philippines.In this case,three DC transmission corridors will be completed from Kalimantan,Indonesia to the Philippines.In Indonesia,two additional DC transmission corridors are proposed,namely the Kalimantan to Surabaya ±500 kV DC system and the Kalimantan to Java Island (eastern part) ±500 kV DC system.Furthermore,the two corridors between the ASEAN region and China as well as South Asia are expected to be strengthened to a higher voltage.

In the ASEAN-China corridors,the synchronous power grid of CLMTV will serve as the platform to build the Liupanshui,China-Hanoi,Vietnam ±660 kV HVDC transmission system with a capacity of 4 GW and a length of 840 km.Furthermore,a ±800 kV HVDC transmission system will be built from China to Lao PDR with a capacity of 8 GW and a length of 1,700 km.In dry seasons,26 GW of power from China can be sent to CLMTV.In wet seasons,CLMTV can deliver 10.5 GW of power to China.In this case,power supply from China will complement that of CLMTV,which can resolve the problem of electricity shortages during dry seasons and power surplus during wet seasons.

In terms of the ASEAN-South Asia corridor,a ±800 kV HVDC transmission line is proposed between Myanmar and India,with a capacity of 8 GW and a length of 2,800 km.This will transmit clean energy from northern Myanmar to load centers in central and eastern India.

5 Conclusion

Fig.10 ASEAN power interconnection scheme in 2050

Power demand in the ASEAN region is rapidly increasing owing to several factors such as rising standard of living,continuous economic growth,and demographic patterns,including population growth.To meet the rapid rise in the power demand in a sustainable way,large scale utilization of clean energy is needed.However,the location of clean energy sources in this region is usually far from the load center.To deal with this problem,a model to evaluate the installed capacity and power exchange potential is proposed.The concept of cross-regional allocation of clean energy between the ASEAN region,China,and South Asia is presented.As a result,a wider power interconnection scheme is proposed within the ASEAN region,as well as between the region and neighboring countries such as China,Bangladesh,and India,to ensure more efficient allocation of renewable energy,thereby improving the supply and sustainability of energy in the countries involved.

The proposed grid interconnection scheme contributes to the utilization of clean energy in the ASEAN region,increasing the proportion of clean energy in the generation mix,which ensures that the region becomes a sustainable and resilient society in a low carbon development route.The development of interconnection in the ASEAN region will generate valuable social,environmental and resource allocation benefits,in addition to stimulating economic growth.According to the system dynamics method described in [5],it is expected that by 2050,the construction of power interconnection in the ASEAN region will increase R＆D investment in the power sector to $2.1 billion per year,and create almost 5 million jobs.Besides,the accumulated investment in the power sector will reach approximately $1.4 trillion and electricity generation cost will decrease by $0.02 kWh.Furthermore,power interconnection facilitates clean energy development and will improve the energy conversion rate of the power sector to 72%.Power interconnection can also mitigate the effects of climate change by preventing 1.7 billion tons of CO2 emissions in the ASEAN region,as well 18 million tons and 6 million tons of SO2 and NOx emissions,respectively.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Science and Technology Foundation of GEIG (No.524500180014).