About 130 million people in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, lack access to electricity, according to study of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). Such state was revealed by the Philippine in a joint study by 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. In the study emailed by PIDS to the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Bicol News Desk, the authors noted that at least 228 million still rely on traditional biomass for cooking and lack access to clean and modern cooking facilities. Based on projections of the International Energy Agency (IEA), about 63 million of the ASEAN population will still have no electricity in 2030. In the Philippines, 16 million of the population are without electricity, according to the study. The same study showed that similar problem also persists in Indonesia (63 million of its population), Myanmar (26 million), Cambodia (10 million), Thailand (8 million), Viet Nam (2 million), Lao PDR (2.2 million), and in Malaysia (200 thousand). Only Singapore and Brunei Darussalam have 100 percent electrification rate. Lack of electricity access is much greater in rural areas than in urban areas, it also cited.
