EP. 280 From Ambition to Execution: Grids, Coal and Capital in APAC

Mar 10, 2026

Randolph Brazier, Global Head of Clean Power Systems at HSBC and former energy networks engineer, joins to explore APAC power realities. He discusses grid stability and long-duration storage. Talks cover coal repowering and transition finance. He examines data centre demand, curtailment in high-renewables systems, and the need for smarter market design and regional interconnection.

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INSIGHT

High Renewables Demand Both Capacity And Stability

Grid stability and capacity are dual constraints in high-renewables systems, not just generation volume.
South Australia paired batteries, gas peakers, synchronous condensers, grid-forming inverters and smart grid tech to manage inertia, fault level and voltage.

ADVICE

Use Automation To Unlock Behind The Meter Flexibility

Deploy automated behind-the-meter solutions rather than rely on behaviour change to capture rooftop solar flexibility.
Use home energy management, batteries and market mechanisms so consumers save money without manual intervention.

ADVICE

Require And Fund Grid Data Transparency

Encourage data transparency by making it a regulatory incentive and funding grid digitalisation.
Fund TSOs/DSOs to add remote monitoring, automation and visibility so they can share usable locational data with markets.

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This week on Energy Unplugged, we’re joined by Randolph Brazier, Global Head of Clean Power Systems at HSBC. He speaks with Hugo Batten, Aurora’s Managing Director APAC, and Lara Panjkov, Head of Research APAC, to examine the practical realities of delivering the energy transition across Asia-Pacific - from grid stability and storage build-out to coal repowering and transition finance.

Randolph leads on HSBC’s Net Zero investment strategy and sector pathways, working closely with clients to finance clean power and support real-economy decarbonisation. A former Director of Innovation & Electricity Systems at the UK Energy Networks Association, with earlier experience designing renewable and grid projects, he brings both engineering depth and financial insight. Drawing on examples such as South Australia’s high-renewables penetration, the rapid growth of data centres, and Asia’s continued reliance on coal, the discussion explores curtailment, system strength, long-duration storage, transition taxonomies, and the structural challenges of mobilising capital at scale in emerging markets.

You will learn:

Why grids, system strength and storage duration - not just generation - are now the binding constraints on decarbonisation.

What high-renewables systems like South Australia reveal about curtailment, stability and the need for smarter market design.

How data centres, electrification and industrial growth are reshaping demand - and why the impact is more nuanced than headlines suggest.

Why coal repowering, transition taxonomies and innovative financing structures will be critical to unlocking capital across APAC.

The Repower Community Interest Company (CIC) [www.repower.world] is a global non-profit initiative dedicated to the repowering of coal power plants, initiated by Quantified Carbon. HSBC’s philanthropic partnership with Repower supports technical analysis to develop feasible low-carbon repowering options for viable sites in emerging markets.

Registration for the leading annual gathering of the European energy industry – the Aurora Spring Forum, taking place on 29th April 2026, in London is open - a one-day deep dive into the biggest strategic questions shaping Europe’s energy transition, plus top-tier networking and a live recording of Energy Unplugged.

Book now at https://auroraer.com/events/aurora-spring-forum-2026 and use code PODCAST20 for 20% off.