SOUTH ASIA – RIPE FOR CLOSURE: Ready for fossil phase out

In this report produced with TransitionZero, we look at electricity demand and supply in key South Asian countries – Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh.

We found that there are 75 GW of overcapacity in South Asia, equivalent to 27% of the total coal, oil and gas capacity, in the modelled countries in 2021. This is a result of excessive investment in coal development, as construction has far outpaced actual demand growth within countries. Together, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan commissioned over 30 GW of coal, oil and gas capacity between March 2018 and 2021.

An estimated $2.3 billion USD in fixed operating & maintenance costs is spent despite these plants no longer being necessary to meet peak demand. Given the enormous potential savings in maintenance costs and benefits to human and planetary health, phasing out excess fossil fuel capacity and ensuring that future demand is met by renewable energy by halting additional fossil fuel projects is a crucial first step in the energy transition.

The key objective of energy planning is to keep the lights on in an economically efficient way while delivering rapid emissions reductions. Amidst the growing threat of climate change, fossil fuel development runs counter to sustainable economic development. This report shows that many countries are protecting incumbent generators with high carbon and air pollutant emissions, even when their contribution is not needed to meet current or future power demand with adequate safety margins.

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Media Contact: Sunil Dahiya, sunil@energyandcleanair.org

Sunil Dahiya, Isabella Suarez and Andrei Ilas. Contributors include Nandikesh Sivalingam and Hubert Thieriot.

Partners: TransitionZero

Bangladesh, India, Pakistan