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Document de travail n° 133 | Les politiques d’efficacité énergétique en Chine, Inde, Indonésie, Thaïlande et Vietnam
Loïc Chappoz and Bernard Laponche, Global Chance
Contact AFD : Nils Devernois (devernoisn@afd.fr)
Most papers dealing with energy efficiency policies focus on the policies and measures implemented in OECD countries and this may lead one to think that only the “rich” countries are developing efforts in this field. International experience shows that emerging countries and even poor developing countries understand that energy efficiency is a prerequisite for their economic and environmentally friendly development. Among these countries, China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam have implemented particularly interesting policies,
some of which were launched several decades ago. Moreover AFD has active cooperation programs in these five countries.
This study describes the current situation and recent trends in final energy demand in these countries as well as the policies and measures they are implementing in the field of end-use energy efficiency.
AFD’s activity in Asia increases by over 60% in 2012
2012 is drawing to a close with sharp growth in AFD’s activity in Asia (+60%). This growth has been marked by a scaling up of action to fight against climate change. The identification of projects in new geographical areas gives a promising sign of new operations in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
Climate issues the priority
• An overall growth in activities, highlighting the priority AFD gives to climate issues (over 70% of its activity). This is particularly the case in China and India, where its operations now come at no cost to the French Government and support global public goods and French influence.
• The first projects planned in new countries of operation, such as Bangladesh and Burma.
• Intense project identification activities in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
• A strengthening of AFD’s traditional partnerships in Asia (Asian Development Bank, JICA) and the launch of new partnerships scaling up AFD’s presence in the region. This concerns initial contacts with Korean and Australian cooperation and the first mobilizations of European financing under the investment facilities.
• The strong social, economic and environmental impact of the development programs that are implemented – particularly in China to rebuild Sichuan Province – with a focus on infrastructure, sanitation and renewable energy development (biogas via the development of biodigesters in China and India).
New objectives, new regions in 2013
• Implementation of AFD’s new strategy for operations in Asia for 2013-2015, based on support for sustainable development and economic diplomacy, which will subsequently be translated into country strategies (initially Indonesia, Vietnam, China and India).
• New growth in activity expected, particularly with the first operations in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
• The celebration of the 20th anniversary of AFD’s presence in Asia, which began with its operations in Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao PDR in 1993.
Twelve new hydro-meteorological stations for improved data on water resources in the Mekong Basin
These twelve hydro-meteorological stations, inaugurated on 7 March at Can Tho in the Mekong Delta, will transmit the data collected directly to computer terminals to provide real-time information on the Mekong River’s water resources. This regional hydrological system, called Mekong-HYCOS, has been set up by the Mekong River Commission as the first information-sharing programme of its kind between the four member countries.
The inaugural ceremony for the Mekong hydro-geological stations took place in the presence of the French Ambassador to Vietnam, the Director-General of the Mekong River Commission, the AFD Director in Hanoi, and representatives from the Vietnamese Ministries for the Environment and Transport and the Can Tho local authorities.
Why has the Mekong Commission set up the Mekong-HYCOS hydrological system?
The project’s overarching goal is to promote sustainable development in the Lower Mekong basin, under an international cooperation agreement signed in 1995 between the four Mekong countries (Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam), which established the Mekong River Commission (MRC).
The specific target is to establish a reliable hydrological observation system for the region (virtually real time data collection and distribution) to be shared by all four member countries to monitor water resources in the Mekong Basin.
View of the Mekong at Can Tho (photo AFD - J.C. Pires)
The outcome will be:
- a functional and reliable system for real-time collection and transmission of hydro-meteorological data (rainfall, water levels) that will improve hydrological monitoring and forecasting along the Mekong River and its main tributaries
- improved data processing and archiving systems in each country
- shared databases and communication networks at regional level
- supply and distribution of hydrological information to users
- strengthened capacities for sustainable use of the water system in the long term.
The project therefore contributes to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) and in particular to Target 1 of Goal 7 to ensure environmental sustainability: “to integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental”.
A sophisticated network for collecting and analysing data on water
Under the project, the Mekong Commission and its member countries selected 32 hydro-meteorological stations along the main tributaries of the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers and in the Mekong delta.
A HYCOS hydro-meteorological station (photo AFD - M. Parent)
The stations have been upgraded with:
- automated devices for measuring water levels and rainfall
- a data storage platform
- a telemetry system for transmitting as much of the data collected as possible by satellite or other suitable means.
An unprecedented collaborative effort to share information between the four countries
Each of the four national hydrogeological services as well as the Mekong River Commission’s regional centre in Phnom Penh have been equipped with computer terminals to receive, process and archive the data transmitted by the measurement stations. All the receiving terminals have simultaneous access to all of the raw data.
This is the first time that the member countries (Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia) have agreed to share data to such an extent. Real-time quality control of the raw data, acquired in virtually real time, ensures that they can be reliably used for flood forecasting by the Mekong River Commission and by the relevant national agencies: each country will be able to incorporate the data from upstream countries directly into their own forecasting system.
Transferring the know-how
A great many training activities were organised for the hydrological agencies in each country. These mainly followed the paired in-service training model, which is the most appropriate and effective system for the type of equipment installed.
Training was organised whenever an international expert was present in the region, at national level with local experts during each site visit and when the receiving stations (terminals) were being set up. Conventional training sessions and workshops were also organised to supplement the continuing training programme.
In Vietnam, the project financed 12 hydro-meteorological measurement stations and provided support on a diminishing scale to operations and maintenance.
Financing and implementation agencies
This 3M € Mekong-HYCOS project for the region is financed by the AFD (2 M€) and the French Global Environment facility (1 M€). It is implemented by the Mekong River Commission and the technical ministries in each of the four member countries, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is supported by scientific and technical expertise from the Institute for Development Research IRD) and the Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR), and has received the scientific endorsement of the World Meteorological Organisation.
Entering the final project phase
The final project phase, now about to begin, will maintain the training effort for the stakeholders, introduce a regional policy for maintenance and processing of hydrological data and build up a stock of spare parts.
The postponement of project completion to the end of 2012 will enable the MRC to organise an event on the hydrology of the Mekong Basin, which will illustrate the project’s results (film, brochures, reports from users, etc.) and draw the attention of policy-makers to the issue of sustainable water supplies in the sub-region.
This 3 M€ project is financed by the AFD (2 M€) and the FGEF (1 M€).
To find out more on this regional project, go to the Mekong River Commission website
A €20m loan to finance energy rehabilitation in buildings (July the 7th, 2011 Board of Directors)
AFD’s Board of Directors approved a €20m loan to Kasikornbank Public Limited Company to finance energy rehabilitation in buildings.
In Thailand, per capita CO2 emissions rose by 250% between 1990 and 2007. The country has been implementing an energy management policy since 1992, the results of which remain focused on the industrial sector. The number and performances of thermal rehabilitation operations in commercial buildings remain low. The commercial bank Kasikornbank will be managing between 20 and 40 loans financed by the project, which will allow it to build its in-house capacities to better assess the risks related to financing this type of investment and offer an appropriate product range. The financed investments will help save approximately 55 GWh a year and reduce emissions by roughly 30,000 tCO2 a year.
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