Photo 1. Group photo of the ASEAN EE&C-SSN delegates at the 30th EE&C-SSN Meeting
The 30th Energy Efficiency and Conservation Sub-Sector Network (EE&C-SSN) Meeting of the ASEAN Energy Cooperation held a series of back-to-back meetings virtually, from 27–28 April 2026, hosted by the Department of Energy (DOE), Philippines, reaffirming its role as the region’s key platform for advancing energy efficiency policies and cooperation.
The Meeting brings together officials from all ASEAN Member States, the ASEAN Secretariat, and the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) to steer regional strategies, milestones, and projects on energy efficiency, supporting ASEAN’s target of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026-2030, reducing energy intensity (EI) by 40% by 2030 based on 2005 level.
27 April – Board of Judges Meeting for the ASEAN EE&C Awards 2026
Photo 2. Board of Judges of the ASEAN EE&C Awards 2026
On 27 April, the meetings opened with the Board of Judges (BOJ) Meeting for the ASEAN EE&C Awards 2026, held as associated meetings to the 30th EE&C-SSN. The Meeting aims to review and finalise the evaluation of submissions, determine the awardees of the ASEAN EE&C Awards 2026, and discuss enhancements to the Awards for next year. In 2026, the Awards received a total of 74 submissions from ASEAN Member States under three areas: (i) Energy Efficient Building Awards, (ii) Green Building Awards, and (iii) Energy Management for Building and Industry Awards. Following the discussion, the awardees selected by BOJ will be announced during the award ceremony, to be held in conjunction with the upcoming 44th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) and 26th ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF-26).
Patrick T. Aquino, Director, Energy Utilization and Management Bureau (EUMB), Department of Energy (DOE), Philippines, serves as the BOJ Chair, and Dr Pongpan Vorasayan, Director of Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE) Thailand, serving as BOJ Vice Chair and the EE&C-SSN Coordinator. The BOJ meeting closed with agreement to continue refining the awards as a tool to showcase best practices and inspire wider replication across ASEAN.
28 April – Sustainable ASEAN Energy Management Certification Scheme (SAEMAS) Workshop & 30th EE&C-SSN Meeting
On the morning of 28 April, ACE and AMS representatives convened an internal online workshop on the Sustainable ASEAN Energy Management Certification Scheme (SAEMAS), as one of the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairship 2026 priority energy deliverables. The Workshop aims to finalise the region’s enhanced framework for certifying energy management professionals, discussed, review, and provide inputs on implementation arrangements. The workshop also examined draft guidelines and the way forward plans for the 44th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM).
Immediately following the workshop, the 30th EE&C-SSN Meeting of the ASEAN Energy Cooperation was convened. Chaired by Dr Pongpan Vorasayan, Director of DEDE Thailand, the Meeting commenced with directions arising from the 43rd AMEM, 29th EE&C-SSN Meeting, and other relevant ASEAN meetings. The Meeting further reviewed the implementation progress of the APAEC 2026-2030 under Programme Area No.4: Energy Efficiency & Conservation, including the 2026-2027 workplans.
The Meeting also discussed progress updates from the Technical Working Groups (TWGs) Chairs on Appliances (Thailand), Industry (Malaysia), Buildings (the Philippines), and Transport sector, and discussed insights and approaches to advance ASEAN’s energy efficiency agenda across the sectors.
The EE&C-SSN also noted the outcomes and recommendations of the BOJ meetings for the ASEAN EE&C Awards 2026, as reported by the Philippines as BOJ Chair, and received a briefing on the outcomes of SAEMAS consultations. The Meeting further discussed update on the status of the APAEC 2026-2030 EI reduction target and progress on the 9th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO9), providing guidance and further actions.
In the Dialogue Partners (DPs) and International Organisations (IOs) session, the Meeting invited partners, including Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Energy Conservation Center, Japan (ECCJ), Green Climate Fund-Korea Development Bank (GCF-KDB), Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), International Energy Agency (IEA), Japan Mission to ASEAN, United Nations Environment Programme – United for Efficiency (UNEP-U4E), UNEP Cool Coalition, reported on the progress and plans to strengthen regional cooperation in support of the APAEC 2026-2030 implementation on EE&C.
Photo 3. Group photo of the team from Department of Energy (DOE), Philippines, and ACE representatives.
Dr Pongpan Vorasayan, Director of DEDE Thailand, as the EE&C-SSN Coordinator, and Patrick T. Aquino, Director of DOE, Philippines, concluded the meeting by extending appreciation to the EE&C-SSN members for the fruitful discussion and constructive inputs during the Meeting, and DPs and IOs for their support in advancing the ASEAN EE&C agenda. They highlighted that the outcomes of the 30th EE&C-SSN Meeting and Its Associated Meetings, will collectively strengthen ASEAN’s path toward a more energy-efficient and sustainable regional future.
