About 130 million people in Southeast Asia or one in five people in the region lack access to electricity, according to a study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). In the Philippines, 16 million are without electricity. This problem also persists in Indonesia (63 million of its population), Myanmar (26 million), Cambodia (10 million), Thailand (8 million), Vietnam (2 million), Laos (2.2 million), and in Malaysia (200,000). Only Singapore and Brunei Darussalam have 100 percent electrification rate. The authors of the study were: Dr. Adoracion Navarro, a senior research fellow of the Institute, Maxensius Tri Sambodo of Indonesian Institute of Sciences Economic Research Center, and Jessie Todoc, Philippines Country Manager of SEA Energy Access and Alternative Energy, International Copper Association Southeast Asia. The authors noted that at least 228 million still rely on traditional biomass for cooking and lack access to clean and modern cooking facilities. And based on projections of the International Energy Agency (IEA), about 63 million of the ASEAN population will still have no electricity in 2030. The Philippines has a total electrification rate of 83 percent. Its urban electrification rate is 94 percent, which is 21 notches higher than its 73 percent rural electrification rate. Nevertheless, about half or 47 million people rely on traditional biomass for cooking. The authors recommended linking the benefits from and strategies in ASEAN Energy Market Integration (AEMI) with the eradication of energy poverty in Southeast Asia.
