Indonesia, Philippines Coal Dependency Surge Past China: EMBER

Indonesia and the Philippines lead Southeast Asia in coal dependency, with both countries experiencing rapid growth in coal reliance in 2023. Indonesia surpassed Poland and China in coal share for power generation, reaching a record high of 61.8%. Meanwhile, the Philippines’ coal generation surpassed these countries, rising to 61.9% in 2023 from 59.1% in 2022.

In both nations, sluggish growth in renewable energy means that the majority of electricity demand growth is met by coal. Indonesia saw coal meet 67% of its increased electricity demand in 2023, while the Philippines’ coal generation increased by 9.7%, outpacing demand growth by 4.6%.

This contrasts sharply with China and Poland, where significant growth in wind and solar power has reduced coal’s share in the energy mix. In China, renewables met 46% of the increased electricity demand, while in Poland, wind and solar generation grew by 26%, leading to a substantial decline in coal generation.

Indonesia also rose to become the world’s fifth-largest coal generator in 2023, surpassing South Korea. Despite this, both Indonesia and the Philippines have seen limited deployment of wind and solar energy compared to their ASEAN neighbors, with significant potential remaining untapped.