Why Asia should embrace natural gas as a power source

GLOBAL energy markets are shifting faster than ever, giving developing country governments urgent new choices about how to scale up their power generation efficiently and sustainably. For emerging Asia, none of the changes we have seen over the last decade are more consequential than the emergence of natural gas as an affordable and clean source of electricity.

Natural gas is increasingly available across Asia as a result of technological advances that have made it easier to locate, extract and transport across the globe. Fifteen years ago, only 10 countries worldwide were importing natural gas. Today there are more than 30, with China and Japan among the top global importers. And that number should be closer to 50 by the end of this decade.

Why does this matter? For Asia, a region that historically had the least access to natural gas, and paid the most for it, the scale-up in gas trading has dramatically changed the energy landscape and provided policymakers with an important new choice in how to power their growth. Specifically, gas offers an opportunity to displace coal-fired power, which remains prolific in Asia despite its climate and health effects.