Ep57 Asia's energy transition: hybrids rise, gas adapts, and markets reform, ft Mike Thomas, The Lantau Group

The Asia Climate Finance Podcast

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In Episode 57, leading Asia energy economist Mike Thomas of The Lantau Group shared insights on 2024 trends and the 2025 outlook. He highlighted improved investment fundamentals, growing demand for renewables, and significant market reforms in Malaysia and the Philippines. Looking ahead, Mike expects continued renewable growth despite geopolitical uncertainties, more solar-hybrid projects, and evolving challenges in gas flexibility. Mike also thinks that while nuclear power's future remains uncertain in Southeast Asia, small modular reactors show long-term promise.

REFERENCES: TLG Insights

ABOUT MIKE: Mike Thomas is the Managing Director and a founding partner at The Lantau Group with over 30 years of consulting experience, focussing on the energy sector. He advises a wide range of energy sector stakeholders on strategic, regulatory, and competition matters; sustainability; market design and development; and commercial transactions. Prior to co-founding in 2010, he headed the Asia Pacific Energy & Environment practice of a global consulting firm. Mike has an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School, United States and a BA in Economics from Carleton College, United States. More specifically, within the Asia Pacific region, he has led many significant engagements involving the robust application of economics and analytics to a wide variety of business, policy, and regulatory challenges affecting the electricity and gas sectors. He works extensively with multinationals on sustainability strategies, focussing on the best options in different markets, and on the regulatory and policy changes needed to support increasing renewable energy contracting options. He has testified or advised as an industry economic expert in commercial contract disputes before courts or arbitral panels in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and Australia, and on disputed regulatory matters before regulatory authorities in New Zealand, Australia, and the Philippines. His experience in commercial matters includes market forecasts and revenue simulations for numerous renewable energy and conventional energy projects and market assessments in South Asia, North Asia, ASEAN, and Australia/New Zealand.

FEEDBACK: Email Host | HOST, PRODUCTION, ARTWORK: Joseph Jacobelli | MUSIC: Ep0-29 The Open Goldberg Variations, Kimiko Ishizaka Ep30-50 Orchestra Gli Armonici – Tomaso Albinoni, Op.07, Concerto 04 per archi in Sol - III. Allegro. | Ep51 – Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G, Movement I (Allegro), BWV 1049 Kevin MacLeod. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License