Decarbonisation Twinning Initiative
The Decarbonisation Twinning Initiative – a collaboration between the Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership (ETP) and the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA) – is a pioneering effort to facilitate dialogue between subnational governments looking to accelerate the phase-out of coal power.
Phasing out coal power is a critical step in strengthening energy security, improving economic resilience and ensuring a safer climate. However, to accelerate coal phase-out and reap these benefits, both national and regional governments will come up against significant challenges in a unique array of circumstances.
By linking participants with shared ambitions but unique challenges, the Decarbonisation Twinning Initiative aims to drive substantial change through knowledge exchange and capacity building to support the practical implementation of coal phase-out plans. It will bring together international expertise and local contexts, creating partnerships that tackle the challenges of coal phase-out together.
How the Twinning Initiative Works
For the first phase of the project, the initiative will focus on twinning arrangements for subnational entities. The second phase will also be opened for private companies.
Subnational governments are essential to a successful energy transition. National-level policies and programmes provide overarching direction; however, they often need to be accompanied by more specific plans developed at the regional or local level. Subnationals, such as states, provinces, or cities, can effectively bridge energy transition targets and on-the-ground action. Their inherent advantages include deeper community engagement, more manageable scope, and greater flexibility to adopt diverse approaches.
In the first phase, the ETP and PPCA seek to empower regions in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam to transition away from coal by creating “twinning” partnerships with PPCA member subnationals who represent other regions around the world facing similar decarbonisation challenges. PPCA member sub-nationals will serve as mentors, sharing their decarbonisation expertise and mentors will gain valuable insights into these emerging markets, creating new collaboration opportunities. The collaboration will be guided by decarbonisation advisors who will support each partnership by designing and facilitating knowledge exchange activities. Potential exchange formats include study tours, dialogues and technology transfer workshops.
Each twinning arrangement can be structured around three central themes:
- Technology and Innovation – Introduction of new technologies, tools, or strategies including the transfer of relevant operational knowledge.
- Decarbonisation Roadmaps – Co-developing a time-bound, implementable decarbonisation roadmap, identifying relevant strategies or technologies required to deliver it.
- Low-Carbon Governance and Policy – Co-developing a low carbon policy, programme, strategy, or a directive, as well as forging long-term cooperation, such as “sister cities,” will be encouraged.
The outcomes of these partnerships are meant to be catalytic in setting decarbonisation commitments and in initiating concrete action. The three themes provide an opportunity to explore diverse twinning arrangements and help in defining the desired output from each partnership. This approach will lead to a variety of knowledge products and case studies for wider dissemination.
By connecting more regions, industries, and governments, the initiative has the potential to drive substantial progress in the global push toward a cleaner, more resilient world. Through continued partnerships and shared learning, the Decarbonisation Twinning Initiative promises to advance global coal phase-out efforts, providing decarbonisation blueprints for regions around the world.