ASEAN power grid: A secure transmission infrastructure for clean and sustainable energy for South-East Asia Tofael Ahmed a , Saad Mekhilef a,n , Rakibuzzaman Shah b , N. Mithulananthan c , Mehdi Seyedmahmoudian d , Ben Horan d a Power Electronics and Renewable Energy Research Laboratory (PEARL), Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia b Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Manchester, M13 9PL, United Kingdom c School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QDL 4072, Australia d School of Engineering, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, VIC 3216, Australia article info Article history: Received 28 December 2015 Received in revised form 12 June 2016 Accepted 10 September 2016 Keywords: ASEAN power grid HVAC HVDC Multiple TSO Renewable generation Sustainable energy systems abstract The efficient utilization of clean energy resources to meet increasing electricity demand is imposing the integration of the electricity market and the construction of secure transmission mechanisms around the globe. Accordingly, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is integrating its large geo- graphical power transmission infrastructure via the ASEAN power grid (APG). This study extensively reviews the energy resources (i.e., fossil fuels and renewables), the current utilization, and the future projection for ASEAN. Electricity export-import scenarios and renewable generation based transmission expansion planning practices in ASEAN will also be critically reviewed in this work. Additionally, the major barriers and technical challenges for establishing an ASEAN grid will be briefly analyzed. Finally, this work suggests possible techniques that help expedite the renewable power generations to overcome the limitations associated with the establishment of the APG, as well as future research direction in enhancing the utilization of APG for ASEAN. & 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1421 2. Large-scale renewable power generation potential ........................................................................ 1421 2.1. Energy status of ASEAN countries................................................................................ 1421 2.2. Primary energy demand scenarios of ASEAN countries ............................................................... 1422 2.3. Electricity demand, generation capacity, importing and exporting scenarios of ASEAN countries ............................. 1423 2.4. Present scenario and future targets of renewable power generation .................................................... 1424 3. Transmission expansion planning practices for renewable generators of ASEAN countries ........................................ 1426 3.1. Connection costs ............................................................................................. 1427 3.2. Network infrastructure costs .................................................................................... 1427 3.2.1. Postage stamp ........................................................................................ 1427 3.2.2. Usage based .......................................................................................... 1428 4. Present status of ASEAN grid development .............................................................................. 1428 5. Major barriers and technical challenges in establishing the ASEAN grid ....................................................... 1429 5.1. Coordination and information sharing among TSO’s ................................................................. 1430 5.2. Critical ancillary services control ................................................................................ 1430 5.3. Inter-TSO compensations....................................................................................... 1430 5.4. Formation of offshore grid-its control and operation ................................................................ 1432 5.5. Identification of future generation investment zone and probabilistic evaluation of reserve margin for the system .............. 1432 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rser Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2016.09.055 1364-0321/& 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. n Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: tofaelcuet@gmail.com, tofael@siswa.um.edu.my (T. Ahmed), mehdis@deakin.edu.au (M. Seyedmahmoudian), ben.horan@deakin.edu.au (B. Horan). Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 67 (2017) 1420–1435