Photo 1. Group session photo for the 3rd consultation workshop.
Manila, 12-13 August 2026 – Following the successful first AEDS Consultation Workshop in August 2025 and the second workshop in February 2026, AEDS is now entering its crucial stage in developing an inclusive platform that meets the needs of ASEAN Member States. Building on the feedback, technical inputs, and recommendations gathered during the previous consultation workshops, the revitalisation process is progressing from concept development towards system operationalisation and user readiness. At this stage, it is essential to ensure that the proposed AEDS platform features, data architecture, access mechanisms, and governance arrangements are aligned with the diverse priorities of AMS.
Hosted by the Department of Energy of the Philippines, this workshop therefore serves as a key platform to validate AEDS dashboard features prior its introduction, which is scheduled to be introduced during the 26th ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF-26) in October 2026. The outcomes of this two days consultation workshop will help ensure that the revitalised AEDS becomes a trusted, intelligent, future-ready regional platform, and supporting the implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026–2030.
In parallel with the ASEAN Energy Database System (AEDS) initiative, ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) also launched the publication of ASEAN Energy Statistics Leaflet (AESL) 2026 and the ASEAN Energy Statistical Yearbook (AESY) 2026 as an integrated products of AEDS. These publications provide a visual and analytical overview of key energy statistics and trends across the region, offering an accessible snapshot of ASEAN’s energy landscape for policymakers, researchers, and the public. The 2026 editions incorporate the latest validated data and further support evidence-based energy policymaking and regional cooperation.
This 3rd AEDS Consultation Workshop, held in Dusit Thani Hotel, Manila, the Philippines, brought together 18 participants (10 Men and 8 Women) representing nine ASEAN Member States (AMS) under Regional Energy Policy and Planning Sub-sectoral Network (REPP-SSN) together with five technical experts experienced in establishing a trusted and relevant dashboard, data governance, and AI models. This event was supported by the World Bank under the Multi-Phased Approach - Accelerating Sustainable Energy Transition (MPA-ASET). The workshop is in line with the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation APAEC 2026-2030, particularly Programme Area No. 6 on Regional Energy Policy and Planning (REPP).
Photo 2. H.E. Felix Wiliam B. Fuentebella, Undersecretary of Department of Energy, SOE Leader of the Department of Energy of the Philippines, delivering opening remarks at the event.
Photo 3. Yussuf Uwamahoro, Lead Energy Specialist, East Asia and Pacific Region, World Bank (left); Dr Zulfikar Yurnaidi—on behalf Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ASEAN Centre for Energy (right), delivering opening remarks at the event.
On the first day, the workshop opened with remarks from H.E. Felix Wiliam B. Fuentebella, the Undersecretary of Department of Energy, SOE Leader of the Department of Energy of the Philippines; Yussuf Uwamahoro from the World Bank; and Dr Zulfikar Yurnaidi—on behalf Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood from ACE, setting the context for the continued development of AEDS as a regional platform supporting energy cooperation and evidence-based policymaking in the ASEAN Region.
Photo 4. Dr Zulfikar Yurnaidi, Head of the Energy Modelling and Policy Planning (MPP) Department of ACE (left) delivering scene setting presentation, Silvira Ayu Rosalia, Senior Statistician of MPP of ACE (middle) and Afham Kilmi, Research Analyst of MPP of ACE (right), delivering the integrated AEDS products of AESL, AESY, and Mid-Year News Highlight presentations.
Following the opening session the session continues with the scene setting presentation, with Dr Zulfikar Yurnaidi, presented “The Role of AEDS for ASEAN Energy Cooperation”. The session highlighted the strategic role of AEDS in strengthening access to regional energy information and supporting ASEAN's broader energy cooperation objectives. It emphasised the importance of establishing a reliable, trusted, and user-oriented regional energy data platform that can facilitate data sharing and support evidence-based policymaking.
Silvira Ayu Rosalia successfully launched the ASEAN Energy Statistical Leaflet (AESL) 2026 and ASEAN Energy Statistical Yearbook (AESY) 2026. The AESL 2026 is the continuation on the previous version of AESL 2025, providing a concise summary of energy statistics in the ASEAN region. The full set of datasets is available in the AESY 2026, which is introduced as a new product. Together, these integrated AEDS products provide accessible and analytical perspectives on ASEAN’s energy landscape by consolidating official energy statistics from ASEAN Member States (AMS).
Afham Kilmi also complementing the session of integrated AEDS products by successfully launched the Mid-Year News highlight. Mid-Year news highlight is a compilation of 2026 ACE news clipping covering the period from January to June 2026. It provides a summary of key updates and developments in the ASEAN energy sector, grouped into several specific topics and sourced from various trusted sources.
Photo 5. Maximilian Heil Project Coordinator, Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy for Southeast Asia (CASE), GIZ Thailand (top left); Jeffrey Napoles Statistician, Data Division, Asian Development Bank (top right); Sueka Putra, Senior Officer of Statistic, Statistics Division of ASEAN Secretariat (middle left); Emilio Bugli Innocenti, Independent Consultant (middle right); Rifan Kurnia, VP of Data & Engineering, Devo Team (bottom) at the Expert Sharing Session.
Maximilian Heil from GIZ presented the Southeast Asia Information Platform for the Energy Transition (SIPET), the platform’s development, key tools, and lessons learned. He outlined five main recommendations for ensuring the platform’s success: focusing on priority users, ensuring data trustworthiness and comparability, defining clear ownership and responsibilities for data updates, making data contributions easy, and engaging the broader ecosystem. The presentation concluded with an invitation for questions and discussion about the platform.
Jeffrey Napoles from ADB presented ADB's data collection and management processes for key indicators and the International Comparison Program (ICP). It outlined the data collection methods, security measures, and four-stage review process (review, validation, approval, and release) to ensure data quality before publication. The discussion also addressed questions on data classification, cloud hosting policies, and procedures for handling errors identified in published data.
Sueka Putra from ASEANstats of ASEAN Secretariat discussed the data update processes in ASEANstats, explaining how they handle revisions to historical data through an advance release calendar, under which data are published according to agreed schedules and updates are incorporated based on submissions from AMS. He also outlined their data verification process, which involves communicating with member states when invalid data is identified and working with them to provide updated values or explanations for discrepancies.
Photo 6. Participants engagement in experts sharing session.
Emilio B. Innocenti presented on building a connected regional energy ecosystem through API interoperability and digital platform integration, emphasising that the goal is to create a regional data infrastructure rather than simply a database with a dashboard. He outlined four dimensions of interoperability: technical, semantic, organisational, and legal, highlighting the importance of robust metadata and clearly defined roles and responsibilities among stakeholders, including data owners, maintainers, and custodians.
Rifan Kurnia then presented on leveraging AI for energy data analysis and visualisation, discussing modern AI trends including multimodal capabilities and agent systems. He outlined a data architecture framework using a "medallion" approach, comprising bronze (raw data), silver (structured data), and gold (business-specific data) layers, and introduced three AI personas designed to support data teams, analysts, and business users. The presentation highlighted the transition from human-driven to agent-based analytics while emphasising the importance of data governance and real-time intelligence systems.
The second day shifted from experience-sharing and expert perspectives towards direct consultation with ASEAN Member States.
Designed as a closed session between ACE, relevant stakeholders, and AMS focal points, Day 2 aimed to validate the AEDS platform prior to the introduction during AEBF-26 in October, dashboard features, data disclosure arrangements, and integration approaches. The discussions were also intended to identify priority improvements to ensure that the platform responds effectively to regional needs and supports its long-term implementation.
Photo 7. Maximilian Heil Project Coordinator, Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy for Southeast Asia (CASE), GIZ Thailand (top left); Silvira Ayu Rosalia, Senior Statistician of MPP of ACE (top right); Afham Kilmi, Research Analyst of MPP of ACE (bottom left); Fadel Maulana, Data Officer of MPP of ACE (bottom right).
The day began with a recap of the two previous AEDS Consultation Workshops, delivered by Afham Kilmi from ACE. He emphasised that the previous two workshops have set the foundations for enhancing and developing the new AEDS platform, marking a transition from theoretical discussions to actionable outcomes.
The session then followed by a discussion on the integration of the Sustainable and Inclusive Platform for Energy Transition (SIPET) into AEDS which was delivered by Maximilian Heil from SIPET team and Silvira Ayu Rosalia from AEDS team. The session presented the rationale and direction for integrating SIPET into AEDS, highlighting opportunities to build a more comprehensive regional platform that brings together energy data and broader energy transition knowledge and information. The integration is intended to strengthen the overall value of AEDS by complementing its energy statistics and data functions with additional information relevant to the energy transition, supporting a more comprehensive regional knowledge platform.
Following the SIPET discussion, Fadel Maulana from ACE, introduced AEDS dashboard, including its dashboard pages, key features, data structure, and security measures. The session provided AMS participants with an opportunity to explore the current version of the platform, discuss its functionality, and provide direct feedback, while gaining a better understanding of its intended features and overall design.
Photo 8. FGD session of Day-2.
In the afternoon, the workshop transitioned into a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) moderated by ACE, ASEANstats, and Emilio B. Innocenti as the AEDS Advisory Consultant. Participants are divided into three groups of AMS representatives to identify areas requiring adjustments and improvements for the enhancement of AEDS. The AMS representatives provided input on various aspects, including additional features, data governance arrangements, access levels, and security measures. These inputs aimed to ensure that the revamped AEDS is trusted, reliable, and sustainable, while effectively addressing existing challenges and strengthening regional energy cooperation.
The event was officially ended by Dr. Zulfikar Yurnaidi. In his closing remarks, he expressed appreciation for the active participation and valuable contributions of the AMS. He reaffirmed ACE’s commitment to advancing the AEDS Revitalisation Project and emphasised the importance of continued collaboration among Member States and stakeholders. The workshop officially concluded with a shared understanding that strengthening AEDS is a collective priority in supporting the ambitious targets of APAEC 2026–2030.
To learn more about ASEAN Energy Database Systems, please visit our website.
