Leaders of ASEAN and G20 nations gather this month with climate change, and how to finance tackling it, looming large after one of the hottest summers on record. Illustration by Hiroko Oshima
Asia Insight

Indonesia climate deal in $20bn gridlock as Vietnam, India on hold

'Breakthrough' funded by G7+ investors misses deadline; Hanoi's $15.5bn plan delayed

5 September 2023
Women supporters of Pakistan's Jamaat-e-Islami party protest against power price hikes in Karachi on Aug. 31.
Economy

Pakistan's inflated electricity rates spark public uproar

Citizens burn bills and protest but IMF terms leave government few options

4 September 2023
An offshore wind turbine sits off the coast of Chiba prefecture, Japan. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
Energy

Japan to shorten assessments for offshore wind farms: environment minister

New process aims to promote investment in promising sector

2 September 2023
Japan has been developing HTGR technology at this JAEA facility in Ibaraki prefecture since the 1990s. (Photo by Konosuke Urata)
Technology

Japan, U.K. to agree on building demo of next-gen nuclear plant

New reactors can generate electricity and produce hydrogen

1 September 2023
A gas station in Tokyo shows the prices of regular gasoline at 193 yen per liter and high-octane gas at 205 yen on Wednesday. (Photo by Nanami Sato)
Energy

Weak yen pushes up Japan gasoline prices, hurting consumers

U.S. interest rate cuts next year could turn the tide, expert says

1 September 2023
Panasonic installed its "power-generating glass" on the balcony of a model home in a smart-town project in Japan's Kanagawa prefecture. (Photo courtesy of Panasonic)
Energy

Panasonic taps ultrathin solar cell layer for power-generating windows

Energy-efficient perovskite inkjet printing arranged in stripes helps maintain transparency

1 September 2023
China's imports of Russian crude increased 25% in the first seven months of the year.  
Energy

China's PetroChina, Sinopec mum on Russian oil imports

Crude imports increase, but buyers are reluctant to speak up

1 September 2023
Offshore turbine companies make use of the powerful and generally more consistent winds that blow far from land. (Photo from China National Offshore Oil Corp.'s social media feed)
Caixin

China's offshore wind sector gears up for life after subsidies

Analysts say the domestic sector will continue to ride the updraft

31 August 2023
Tengku Muhammad Taufik, center, president and group CEO of Petronas, on August 30 in Kuala Lumpur says a weak global economy will keep the energy market bearish for the rest of the year. (Photo by Norman Goh)
Energy

Petronas gas project in Canada aims to start exports next year

Malaysian state energy company posts 13% net profit decline in 2023 first half

30 August 2023
A gas station in Tokyo. Gasoline prices in Japan have been rising as the currency weakens and global oil prices also escalate. (Photo by Sato Nanami)
Inflation

Japan gasoline prices hit record high on weakening yen

Average retail price reached 185.6 yen per liter over week to Aug. 28

30 August 2023
Sandbanks in the Mekong River in Nakon Phanom province, Thailand surface due to unusually low water levels in 2019.
Opinion

New Thai government must show more responsibility with the Mekong

Power production has been prioritized without consideration of area residents

29 August 2023
The world continues to see an increase in coal-fired capacity as more facilities are built in Asia and elsewhere.
Datawatch

World struggles to break coal habit despite looming climate risk

Demand for black rock surges on Ukraine war, post-COVID recovery and heat waves

26 August 2023
Tanks of treated water at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant: TEPCO highlights the presence of tritium in the water but the presence of other radionuclides is of more significance.
Opinion

It is not too late for Japan to change course on Fukushima water

TEPCO's track record provides little reason for confidence in 30-year release plan

24 August 2023
Bangkok at sunset. Proponents of nuclear power see it as a clean alterative for energy-hungry Thailand.
Energy

Thailand's nuclear power debate heats up as U.S., China build SMRs

Reactors have support from business community but public remains ambivalent

24 August 2023
Japan's Inpex sources supplies of natural gas from the Ichthys project in Australia. (Photo courtesy of Inpex)
Energy

How would a natural gas shortage affect Japan? 3 things to know

Importers eye long-term LNG contracts for stability as supply risks loom

23 August 2023
Solar panels on the roof of a building in Bangkok in 2017: Solar energy has entered mainstream policy in most ASEAN member states.
Opinion

ASEAN can be a power in solar energy with teamwork

Members should work together to make region a production hub

21 August 2023
Thin-film perovskite solar cells are flexible, expanding their range of potential uses. (Photo courtesy of Kyoto University)
Energy

China leads in research on next-generation solar cells

Risk of U.S. sanctions could jeopardize progress on emerging technology

20 August 2023
A worker walks inside a Petrobras oil rig in the Santos Basin off Rio de Janeiro. Natural gas is a common byproduct at such facilities.
Climate Change

Petrobras, Japanese partner work on carbon capture at offshore rigs

Kureha to develop new catalyst to turn byproduct gas into material for batteries, auto parts

20 August 2023
Andrew Bowie became the UK's first-ever nuclear minister in February, underlining the nation's commitment to boosting the sector (Photo by Sayumi Take)
Energy

U.K. 'committed' to nuclear power despite China funding concerns

Country's first nuclear minister, Andrew Bowie, says public backs new plants

19 August 2023
China's share of the global wind energy market has increased by almost 20 percentage points since 2018.
Energy

Chinese manufacturers dominate wind power, taking 60% of global market

China leads in renewable energy as Europe falls behind

19 August 2023
Sekisui Chemical is developing more impermeable and efficient perovskite solar cells to generate electricity. (Photo by Takako Fujiu)
Technology

Sekisui Chemical to mass-produce bendable perovskite solar cells

Japan grapples to recapture solar panel materials market from China

17 August 2023
Japan's first large-scale offshore commercial wind operation, near the port of Noshiro in Akita prefecture. (Photo by Masayuki Kozono) 
Opinion

Asian wind power development isn't moving fast enough

More collaboration needed on supply chains, effective policy frameworks

15 August 2023
As many Asian countries started to seriously consider how they would achieve carbon neutrality, they have come to see the use of ammonia as a means to this end. (Source photo by JERA) 
Business Spotlight

Japan warms to disputed coal power technology under West's icy stare

Government, companies eager to work with non-G7 partners on 'co-firing' ammonia

11 August 2023
 The LNG Canada project is scheduled to begin operation in the middle of the decade. (LNG Canada handout via Reuters)
Energy

Asian nations compete for access to Canadian LNG

Country poised to become bigger exporter of clean-burning fuel than Russia

10 August 2023
Vietnam received its first LNG imports this year, but without long-term contracts, it is fully exposed to spot market volatility. (Handout via Reuters)
Opinion

Asia's LNG latecomers should rethink their plans

Spot-market supplies set to remain tight and prices high

9 August 2023