IRENA-东北亚可持续发展的可再生能源和电力互联（英文）-2021.5-144页_5mb

Summary of "Renewable Energy and Electricity Interconnections for a Sustainable Northeast Asia"

Core Content

This report, jointly developed by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI), focuses on the development of renewable energy and electricity interconnections in Northeast Asia (NEA) to support sustainable development and low-carbon growth. It draws insights from past interconnection studies and analyzes the evolution of three regional electricity market initiatives: SIEPAC (Central America), WAPP (West Africa), and Nord Pool (Northern Europe).

The report emphasizes the importance of aligning interconnection plans with the region's growing commitment to renewable energy, particularly in the context of climate goals such as achieving net carbon neutrality by the middle of this century. It highlights the need for updated models that reflect current cost trends and policy directions.

Main Points

• Regional Renewable Energy Market: The report advocates for the creation of a regional renewable energy market through cross-border interconnections and investments in renewable energy generation capacity.

• Interconnection Plans: It reviews selected interconnection plans for NEA, aiming to identify gaps and improve future studies. Current plans often reflect national interests rather than a unified regional vision.

• Renewable Energy Integration: The report encourages the integration of renewable energy into the interconnection debate, noting the rapid decline in costs for solar PV and onshore wind, which makes these technologies more viable for future cross-border electricity trading.

• Balancing Power: The need to identify and analyze flexible resources (e.g., hydropower in Siberian and Far Eastern river systems) to balance the variability of wind and solar generation is highlighted.

• Market Structures: NEA countries have diverse electricity market structures, influenced by their size and regulatory environments. The report suggests that future interconnection plans should align with existing and evolving national and provincial markets rather than imposing a unified regional market structure.

• Economic and Financial Benefits: The report explores the economic motivations for interconnection and the implications of market mechanisms such as power purchase agreements (PPA) and transmission service agreements (TSA) for cross-border trade.

• Institutional Development: It calls for the establishment of new multilateral co-operative bodies to support interconnection development, although these should start with a limited scope compared to existing institutions in SIEPAC, WAPP, and Nord Pool.

Key Information

Overview of NEA Countries

• China: Has significant renewable energy potential and is experimenting with competitive electricity markets.
• Japan: Has an established competitive market and a power exchange (JPEX).
• Republic of Korea: Operates a competitive market and has a power exchange (KPX).
• Mongolia: Possesses substantial renewable energy resources, particularly in wind and solar.
• Russian Federation: Has a regulated wholesale market in Siberia and is part of the Unified Power System (UPS).

Regional Initiatives and Lessons

• SIEPAC (Central America): Developed a regional electricity market (REM) with infrastructure supporting cross-border trade. It allows for a gradual integration process and is based on free, third-party access and competitive bidding.
• WAPP (West Africa): Operates through bilateral PPAs and TSAs, and is still in the early stages of developing a regional market.
• Nord Pool (Northern Europe): A well-established regional electricity market with a robust institutional framework, including a regional regulator, TSOs, and a market operator.

Market and Institutional Implications

• Market Models: The SIEPAC model is considered more feasible for NEA due to its compatibility with national markets and the gradual integration process it supports.
• Institutional Framework: Future NEA institutions should include a regional regulator, nominated TSOs, a market operator, and political oversight. However, the level of political and economic integration is currently not sufficient for deep market unification.
• Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS): The report notes the presence of various ETS in NEA, which influence the competitiveness of different energy sources. The possibility of using Article 6 of the Paris Agreement to generate emissions reductions is also mentioned.

Future Recommendations

• Investment Studies: Future interconnection efforts should focus on investment studies that bring individual interconnections between pairs of countries closer to investment readiness.
• Unified Grid Configuration: A unified view of future grid configurations is essential to promote interconnection among decision-makers and investors.
• Cross-Border Cooperation: Encouraging organic cross-border cooperation by allowing electricity importers and exporters to act as market participants in each other's exchanges can support the development of a regional market.
• Cost Recovery Mechanisms: The report highlights the need for identifying feasible cost recovery methods for cross-border interconnectors, which is critical for the financial sustainability of interconnection projects.

Conclusion

The report concludes that while significant studies and plans exist for NEA interconnection, further research is needed to address current gaps and flaws. It recommends a shift from large-scale, idealistic schemes to more realistic, investment-ready interconnections that align with the region's policy commitments and market realities. The development of a unified regional market is not yet feasible, and the report encourages the exploration of opportunities within existing national and provincial electricity markets.