Renewable energy cooperation in Northeast Asia: Incentives, mechanisms and challenges

Over the past several decades, sustained economic growth has led to a surge in energy consumption in Northeast Asia, most notably, in China, Japan and South Korea. However, domestic supply has failed to meet the demand in energy, leading to two related outcomes: First, the widening gap between production and consumption has led to dependency on external sources of energy. Second, it has forced the governments to securitize their energy policy. Nevertheless, unlike other regions such as the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, energy dependency in Northeast Asia has not encouraged closer intra-regional cooperation. Rather, in some instances, it has undermined cooperation and exacerbated unconstructive competition. Thus, in this study, our aim is to highlight the problematic relationship between energy securitization and regional energy cooperation in Northeast Asia, and provide an analysis on the rationale, mechanisms and challenges for energy-driven regional cooperation. We, in this respect, argue that, drawing on the existing regional compatibilities in renewable energy generation and consumption patterns, establishing a multi-modal integration and communication mechanism would promote greater integration and help bridge the gap between securitization and cooperation in energy in Northeast Asia.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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