Spatial Analysis of Coal Mining Lands for Renewable Energy Repurposing in Southeast Asia

Overview & Synopsis

This report presents a spatial analysis of coal mining lands in four Southeast Asian countries—Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam—to identify areas that may be suitable for repurposing to large-scale solar photovoltaic (PV), onshore wind, and/or pumped hydroelectric energy storage (PHES). Using global datasets of coal mining lands, spatial data layers of exclusion factors relevant to renewable energy siting, such as solar and wind energy potential, minimum mine site area, distance to transmission infrastructure, and overlap with protected areas, were overlaid to help identify potentially suitable mining areas for repurposing. This was complemented by a quantitative analysis by interviewing regional policy experts to identify country-specific legislative barriers to renewable energy repurposing of mining lands.