Electricity planning — Announcements — Center for Social Development Studies

Date and time: 9:00 – 12:00, Thursday 2nd June 2022 [ICT]

Co-hosted by Center for Social Development Studies (CSDS), Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University and the Australia – Mekong Partnership for Environmental Resources and Energy Systems (AMPERES)

Please see the Facebook Live broadcasting here.

How electricity is generated, and how it is accessed, is of central importance to sustainable development in the Mekong Region, including in terms of environmental impacts, social wellbeing, and economic growth. As electricity demand continues to rise across the Mekong Region, the dominant approach to meeting this demand has been predominantly new supply generated by large-scale coal-fired and gas-fired power stations, or large hydropower dams. Yet, there are a growing number of reasons to suggest that the current technologies and practices of the electricity sector in the region could be on the cusp of transformation, that in general result in less risk of environmental and social harm, and are gaining momentum even as their full potential has not been realized.

Until recently, electricity planning was largely perceived to be the domain of technical experts, although some projects proposed would attract controversy, public protest and debate. Yet, given the complexity and range of environmental and societal issues, the provision of safe, reliable and affordable electricity is clearly more than a technical planning challenge – although it can certainly be this. Furthermore, there is now growing recognition that electricity policy planning – and the principles and processes by which it is conducted – is an important dimension of attaining sustainable development.

About the report

From mid-2021 to early-2022, CSDS and AMPERES collaborated with 24 researchers from academic institutions, think tanks and civil society organizations to prepare thirteen ‘thinkpieces’ that explore the opportunities and challenges to sustainable and just electricity transformation in the Mekong Region. Each think piece contributes a layer of evidence and insight to understanding the dynamics of electricity in practice in the Mekong Region, ranging from analysis on the regional scaled plans for electricity trade, to examination of the national level processes on power development planning and its outcomes, to local level opportunities and challenges for decentralized off-grid electricity solutions. The aspiration of this collaborative initiative was not to assemble a consensus report, but rather to gather diverse viewpoints on the opportunities and challenges in attaining ‘sustainable and just electricity transformation’ in the Mekong Region. To this end, the report aims to set out some new terrains for the electricity debate at scales that range from the local to the regional, and is intended to stimulate public debate on the wide-ranging social, ecological and economic implications of electricity planning.

The report is available for download from 2 June 2022 from the CSDS here and AMPERES here websites.

About the report launch

This event is aimed towards interdisciplinary researchers, civil society groups, opinion formers, and electricity planners and decision makers with an interest in exploring a sustainable and just energy transition in the Mekong.

The launch event will be joined by many of the thinkpiece authors who will share their analysis and recommendations in a panel discussion format. Three overarching themes are covered:

Rethinking electricity narratives: How are different electricity options narrated and justified? How do they reflect visions for the electricity transformation? What are the implications for a just electricity transformation in the region?
Rethinking electricity planning: Beyond changes in generation technology, in what ways could/should electricity systems in the region change in the near future? What are the challenges and opportunities to do so? What are the economic, social and environmental implications?
Rethinking scale and design: Why does scale matter in electricity planning and practice? Are different scaled technologies and practices mutually exclusive options? What are the trends and the region and what are the consequences?

Join the discussion

This event will be hosted online via Zoom and in-person (limited seats available) at the Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University.

Please register to join the event here.

Contact us

For all enquiries, please contact Carl Middleton (CSDS; Carl.M@chula.ac.th) or Tarek Ketelsen (AMPERES; Tarek.Ketelsen@amperes.com.au).

Agenda