Does the future of UK renewable energy rest in Asia?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

Most recent headlines surrounding renewable energy and the direction of the industry here in the UK seem to be focussing on the potential in Asia - UK-Philippines collaborations and UK-Vietnam partnerships currently underway or in talks.

So, does the future of UK renewable energy rest in Asia?

Renewable projects in The Philippines & Vietnam

Just last week, the UK and the Philippines successfully reached significant milestones in renewable development, strengthening their partnership through key investments and projects, including a $150 million wind farm initiative between Citicore Renewable Energy Corporation and Actis that aims to develop four wind farms across Luzon and Visayas with a total capacity of 380 MW.

Alongside this and following COP29, the UK and Vietnam’s dedication to, and plans for, renewable energy projects seem to align, with many headlines suggesting there is ‘huge potential for cooperation’ between the two; according to the Department of Climate Change under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, it is necessary for Vietnam to enhance international cooperation on the pathway towards Net Zero.

What’s more, in late October, Vietnam's Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office signed a memorandum of understanding on environment and climate, which is expected to contribute to the global Net Zero goal.

However, these future UK-Philippines wind farm projects, solar farms, and talks of cooperation with Vietnam don’t take into account the huge potential for Energy from Waste in Asia where there is a significant waste issue.

According to the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), for instance, rapid urbanisation and economic growth have led to a significant increase in solid waste generation, where it’s estimated that urban areas in Asia produce about 760,000 tonnes of waste per day, which is expected to increase to 1.8 million tonnes by 2025.

Moreover, approximately 80% of the rubbish flowing into oceans comes from the ASEAN region where there is an inadequate system for waste disposal, collection, treatment, and recycling.

As such, EfW plants in Asia would create massive opportunities for mass waste treatment in countries like The Philippines and Vietnam; reusing and recycling a significant portion of the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of waste already generated per day to create much needed energy for the region and beyond - reducing pollution of the world’s oceans.

Yet, here in the UK, EfW is being widely deincentivised and, indeed some would say demonised, where it would be of significant value to South East Asia and contribute to a cleaner future for so many millions of people, not only in Asia, but across the globe.

PWCL and Terram Energy

PWCL’s sister company, Terram Energy, looks to develop international renewable energy projects, and is particularly interested in the opportunities for EfW facilities in The Philippines and Indonesia where this kind of waste treatment would be beneficial on a number of levels.

Indeed, PWCL’s portfolio does include a waste treatment project in Bangladesh where our team was appointed to conduct a feasibility study and financial modelling for the project as part of the pre-construction phase.

EfW is the answer

In short, the future of UK renewable energy may indeed rest within Asia, specifically South East Asia, but perhaps not in wind and solar farms as the headlines may have us believe and the UK government is pushing for, rather in the huge potential for Energy from Waste plants in the region.