Not enough data for electricity needs and supply of 684 million people in Asia, report finds

While India, New Zealand, Australia scored the highest, many countries with high electricity demand needed improvements. China, despite being the largest electricity consumer in Asia and globally, only scored an “acceptable” rating due to lack of detailed data and inconsistent reporting. ASEAN countries generally scored “insufficient” or “poor” for data transparency, while Thailand and the Philippines performed relatively better. 

Notably, three low-middle income countries (India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka) are making strides in improving data transparency, scoring higher than higher-income countries like China and Japan. The authors argue that they are  demonstrating good practices that can be replicated elsewhere.

The authors conclude that data transparency in Asia needs improvement, which can be done by following open data standards and guidelines that require relatively low technical or financial capabilities.

Yet, finding high-quality and consistent power sector data to track the growth is challenging, the report finds. The report emphasises the need to make power sector data open and freely accessible across the region, as it plays a pivotal role in decarbonising the power sector. 

Some governments have become aware of the importance of data transparency–it  accelerates decarbonization of the power sector through innovation and builds trust in the government. In recent years, countries such as India have stepped up efforts to spur transparency by launching data governance initiatives and partnering with the private sector.

Further, the authors emphasised that governments and intergovernmental organisations will gain monumental benefits of emissions reduction and power sector innovation by improving data transparency, unleashing the full potentials of Asia’s clean energy transition.