The Asia-Pacific Region is undergoing a surge in investments in submarine power cables, which is expected to reach $1.95 billion by 2030. Athena Tong, the DSET visiting scholar, and Cartus You, the policy assistant, contributed an op-ed to Nikkei Asia, analyzing the cruciality of the submarine power cables in the region and the threats emerging under the geopolitical complexity. The authors argued that the role model of the European power grids’ integration and cross-national cooperation can be considered to further strengthen the resilience of regional energy security.
In the article, the authors stressed the importance of submarine power cables to the regional power grid. They are also an indispensable condition for achieving net-zero targets. However, in the Asia-Pacific region, 100-200 cable damage incidents were recorded each year, with the emergence of “shadow fleets” and the weaponization of deep-sea technology by China. A similar sabotage situation is also observed in Europe during the integration of Baltic states into Europe’s energy system, demonstrating that undersea cable security is a global concern demanding collective action.
From the lessons-learned in Europe, the authors suggested two ways to tackle the challenges in Asia-Pacific through (1) rapidly enhancing their ability to monitor and protect submarine cables through emerging technologies, such as underwater drones or advanced remotely operated vehicles (ROVs); and (2) utilizing International coordination, such as NATO, to establish a center dedicated to certain security issues.
The authors stated that Taiwan’s strategic position as a potential “transfer station” between Northeast and Southeast Asia, combined with its semiconductor expertise, makes it an ideal hub for technological innovation. With sufficient consideration of the geopolitical reality, a pragmatic partnership framework can be forged to address both the urgent need for energy transition and the escalating security threats to undersea infrastructure.
As the conclusion, the authors suggested that, by establishing joint technical standards, pooling investment in critical infrastructure, and developing regional emergency response protocols with European experience, Asia-Pacific nations can build a resilient network capable of withstanding both technological disruption and geopolitical pressure.
