Why the Asean Power Grid’s future lies in subsea cables
Some of the world’s longest subsea power cables could be laid in the region, if vision can translate to action
The future of the Asean Power Grid (APG) lies in laying subsea power cables, as existing land-based connections prove insufficient. Subsea interconnectors, high-voltage power cable systems laid on or under the seabed, are crucial in realizing the APG. While the world's longest subsea interconnector runs 630 km between the UK and Denmark, South-east Asia could take this technology to a new scale.
Currently, the region has overland interconnectors, mostly used by Laos to export electricity to its neighbors. Singapore aims to import 6 gigawatts (GW) of low-carbon electricity by 2035, with conditional approvals granted to projects that could bring in clean energy from Cambodia, Vietnam, and even Australia. However, building these long-distance interconnectors will require HVDC cables and specialized vessels for installation and repair.
The global market for these resources is tight, with Asean still lacking manufacturing capacity for such cables. Centralized procurement of subsea power cables and greater regulatory clarity will be essential to mitigate supply constraints and accelerate the APG's development. Currently, only one subsea interconnector exists in the region, connecting Plentong in Malaysia and Singapore's Woodlands, spanning just 2 km.
For the APG to truly take off, subsea cables would need to run much longer distances, with projects spanning 700 km or more.
Written by urgent.news from The Business Times - Companies & Markets's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
