Geothermal development in South, Southeast and East Asia: A review

Global geothermal energy utilisation for power generation and direct-use applications have increased over the past 25 years, with Asia having the fastest growth in direct-use applications, which suggests a high demand for geothermal resources in Asia. This review seeks to fill a critical gap in the existing literature on geothermal development in South, Southeast and East Asia. It covers geological background, government policy, technological advancement, and socio-economic factors. This review also provides each country’s current state of geothermal energy usage and insights into the respective government plans and initiatives to maintain and increase geothermal energy utilisation. The countries have been categorised into low- and high-temperature resource countries and their main geothermal heat utilisations have been identified. Countries trying to increase geothermal energy in their energy portfolios should continue to explore geothermal resources and to develop a pool of local expertise to be rightly positioned to adopt these emerging technologies.