Photo 1. Group Photo of the Workshop Participants
Jakarta 21-22 April 2026 – The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) successfully convened a two-day regional workshop to facilitate the operationalisation of the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) Enhanced MoU—a foundational framework for advancing multilateral power trade in Southeast Asia, endorsed at the 43rd ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM).
Bringing together the Chairs of the APG Task Forces and members of APG Policy Task Force, the workshop was attended by the representatives of Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and Viet Nam, with representatives of Myanmar, Philippines, and Thailand participating virtually.
Supported by Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership (ETP-UNOPS), Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy (CASE) for Southeast Asia, and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) through the ASEAN Power Grid Advancement Program (APG-AP), the workshop underscored ASEAN’s growing determination to accelerate regional power interconnection, deepen electricity trade, and strengthen market integration.
At a time when energy security, affordability, and decarbonisation have become defining challenges for the region, the workshop served as a strategic reaffirmation that ASEAN’s energy future will depend not on isolated national systems, but on collective regional solutions. Central to the discussions was the finalisation of the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the three APG Task Forces—Policy, Regulatory, and Technical—including agreement on topics, key activities, expected outputs, and indicative timelines.
The first day opened with strong support from Jonathan Goh, Senior Official on Energy (SOE) Leader of Singapore and Director of External Relations at Energy Market Authority (EMA), who in his opening remark emphasised the urgency of translating ambition into coordinated action. He described the workshop as essential for finalising each Task Force’s workplan, which would pave the pathway forward towards a realised ASEAN Power Grid infrastructure and market.
Picture 2. Opening Remarks Session by Jonathan Goh, Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, and Jerome Pons
Echoing these remarks, Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ACE,placed sharper emphasis on the need for timely delivery of the APG. With energy disruptions and price volatility affecting economies across the region, he noted that the ASEAN Power Grid is no longer a distant aspiration, but an immediate necessity to implement and make them into bankable projects.
Jerome Pons, Head of Cooperation at the European Union (EU) Mission to ASEAN, further reaffirmed Europe’s commitment to the region’s connectivity agenda. Through the EU-ASEAN Connectivity Package, the European Union stands ready to support and accelerate investment mobilisation aimed at delivering reliable, resilient, and affordable energy infrastructure.
The first session began with a scene-setting presentation by Beni Suryadi, Senior Manager of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) Department. He outlined the workshop’s key objectives and expectations, while clarifying the broader workflow of the APG Task Forces. Beni highlighted that one of the most pressing priorities of the day was to secure common agreement on the draft ToR, especially as the operationalisation of the Enhanced MoU has already been identified as a key priority deliverable for Philippines’ ASEAN Chairship in 2026.
The following session focused on defining and prioritising topics within the Task Forces’ workplans. Presenting the pathway of APG infrastructure and trade evolution, Nadhilah Shani, Head of the Power Generation and Interconnection (PIN) Department at ACE, observed that the region remains largely characterised by unidirectional power trading arrangements. Moving toward multidirectional and eventually multilateral trade, she argued, will require dedicated task forces capable of addressing distinct policy, regulatory, and technical barriers through coordinated frameworks. She then introduced indicative areas of work, complete with proposed priorities, outputs, scopes of activity, and implementation timelines, which will assist the region in achieving an interconnection future.
The second session, opened by Beni , examined the detailed workplan and expected outputs of each APG Task Force. Delegates reviewed proposed outputs, activities, and milestones with particular attention to issues of sensitive data and information sharing. Several interventions highlighted the importance of balancing transparency and regional coordination, a challenge that will likely remain central as power markets become more integrated, while ACE remains committed in protecting member states sovereignty over sensitive data. In the following session, the Member States reviewed indicative schedules for each activity.
The second day of the workshop began with breakout discussions among three Task Forces. The Policy, Regulatory, and Technical Task Force Chairs and Policy Task Members discussed the priority topics and the proposed timeline of the workplan implementation in smaller groups. The discussions hold significant meaning towards the progress of APG development, as the output of the discussions outlines the regional frameworks to be delivered under the APG within the next few years.
Through the facilitated exchanges, the ASEAN Member States showed collective commitment towards realising the regional aspirations of establishing the ASEAN Power Grid, as the delegates gave constructive feedback on the priority topics and milestones of each Task Force – particularly on the topic of Renewable Energy Certificates, institutional arrangements, and regional planning.
The workshop concluded with a renewed sense of momentum and shared responsibility. As a way forward, ACE will work closely with ASEAN Member States to fully finalise the institutional coordination mechanism for the APG Task Forces, to operationalise the APG Enhanced MoU through the implementation of the agreed Task Force workplans on policy, regulatory, and technical.
By strengthening coordination, advancing priority studies, and supporting capacity-building initiatives, these collective efforts will accelerate the transition toward a more integrated, reliable, and sustainable energy connectivity through the ASEAN Power Grid.
