Photo 1. Group photo of the moderator and panellists of the AEDS plenary session at AEBF-26.
Manila, 6 October 2026 – The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) convened a plenary session titled “Powering ASEAN's Energy Transition: Building a Smarter Energy Data Ecosystem” under Track 3: Energy Innovation and Digitalisation of the 26th ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF-26). Hosted by the Department of Energy (DOE) of the Philippines in conjunction with the 44th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM), AEBF-26 was held under the theme “Clean Energy Unlocked: A Stronger ASEAN” in support of the Philippines' 2026 ASEAN Chairship.
Following three AEDS Consultation Workshops held in August 2025 (Workshop I), February 2026 (Workshop II), and August 2026 (Workshop III), the session served as a platform to introduce the prototype of the revitalised ASEAN Energy Database System (AEDS) to a broader audience of policymakers, industry leaders, financial institutions, and development partners. It presented the vision and strategic direction of the revitalised AEDS while fostering dialogue on ASEAN's evolving energy data needs, including data credibility, governance and harmonisation, data sharing, and the role of digital technologies in modernising regional energy data systems.
The session brought together a diverse group of participants, including energy database experts, academics, and representatives of ASEAN Member States (AMS) under the Regional Energy Policy and Planning Sub-sectoral Network (REPP-SSN). The event was supported by the World Bank under the Multi-Phased Approach – Accelerating Sustainable Energy Transition (MPA-ASET) and is in line with Programme Area No. 6 on Regional Energy Policy and Planning (REPP) of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026–2030.
Photo 2.Yusuf Uwamahoro, Lead Energy Specialist, Energy and Extractives Global Practice, the World Bank, delivering the opening remarks of the AEDS plenary session.
In his opening remarks, Yusuf Uwamahoro, Lead Energy Specialist, Energy and Extractives Global Practice, World Bank, underlined the World Bank's support for the AEDS revitalisation under MPA-ASET and the importance of reliable, harmonised, and accessible energy data for ASEAN's clean energy transition.
Photo 3. Dr Zulfikar Yurnaidi, Head of the Energy Modelling and Policy Planning (MPP) Department of ACE, introducing the AEDS revitalisation initiative (top) and the prototype (bottom).
Dr Zulfikar Yurnaidi, Head of the Energy Modelling and Policy Planning (MPP) Department of ACE, who also moderated the panel, then introduced the AEDS revitalisation initiative and its planned enhancements in data architecture, usability, thematic coverage, and integration with modern analytical tools.
He then led a live walkthrough of the AEDS dashboard prototype, built internally by ACE with the support of the World Bank and based on data submitted by AMS. Referring to that dashboard feature, the ASEAN Explorer showed that in 2024, ASEAN's primary energy supply reached 780.5 Mtoe and final energy consumption 462.8 Mtoe. Against the APAEC 2030 targets, energy intensity reduction was 25.7% below 2005 levels (target: 40%), while renewables reached 14.1% of primary energy supply (target: 30%) and 33.6% of installed capacity (target: 45%).
The walkthrough also offered an early look at the 9th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO9), available digitally, and showcased AEDS Products, including ASEAN Energy Statistical Yearbook 2026 (AESY 2026), the ASEAN Energy Statistical Leaflet 2026 (AESL 2026), News Highlights, and the GIS map. Meanwhile, the menu on Power Data Sharing, the RE Project Database, and the new Database were introduced as upcoming features. In addition, the session also announced the integration of the Southeast Asia Information Platform for the Energy Transition (SIPET) into AEDS. SIPET was previously managed under the CASE-GIZ consortium.
Photo 4.Gauri Singh, Deputy Director General, International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) (top left); Shantanu Jaiswal, Head of South and Southeast Asia Research, BloombergNEF (top middle left); Zaharin Zulkifli, Deputy Director, Suruhanjaya Tenaga (Energy Commission) Malaysia (top middle right); Sascha Oppowa, Energy Project Director, CASE-GIZ (top right); Lisa Sachs, Director, Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI) (bottom) at the panel discussion.
The panel discussion brought together Gauri Singh from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Shantanu Jaiswal from BloombergNEF (BNEF), Zaharin Zulkifli from Suruhanjaya Tenaga (Energy Commission) Malaysia, Sascha Oppowa from CASE-GIZ, and Lisa Sachs from the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment (CCSI). The discussion explored the strategic role of energy data in ASEAN, the challenges of data fragmentation, the translation of data into policy and investment decisions, and the long-term sustainability of regional energy data systems.
Looking ahead to the energy transition, Gauri Singh emphasised the need for a strong data foundation, clear classifications, and consistent methodologies to identify future energy needs. Recognising varying institutional capacities across ASEAN Member States (AMS), she encouraged capacity-building for technical focal points and the adoption of common methodologies to promote data sharing and transparency. She cautioned against over-standardisation that could limit data availability or overlook regional characteristics. With the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) as a key priority, she also called for a regional energy taxonomy and enhanced energy product classification that account for decentralisation, grid flexibility, and storage.
Setting the data context, Shantanu Jaiswal shared BNEF's experience in building and maintaining its own databases covering a large number of assets. He emphasised that the credibility of data must be ensured, as accuracy is not negotiable. Building the whole picture, including a comprehensive policy database, requires considerable time for cross-checking information, and he highlighted that data frequency, validation, and cross-checking are key to producing trusted datasets. On data sustainability, he noted the growing role of AI, including the expansion of data centres, stressing that without data, AI is meaningless.
Zaharin Zulkifli highlighted that energy data must be credible and comparable to be useful for energy planning, giving policymakers the confidence to utilise the data in actual policy formulation. Sharing Malaysia's experience in developing MyEnergyStats, he described the portal as a window for investors. Going beyond showing numbers, MyEnergyStats now involves stakeholders across Malaysia's energy supply chain, who are requesting more detailed data, and its second phase will link directly to the owners of the data systems. He also underlined the importance of data exchange among AMS.
Addressing the challenge of data fragmentation, Sascha Oppowa shared three lessons from the Southeast Asia Information Platform for the Energy Transition (SIPET): first, collaboration requires clearly defined roles and responsibilities; second, a platform should be modular and iterative, adding modules over time and building on good existing components instead of developing entirely new products; and third, the data offer displayed should be realistic rather than overly ambitious. He noted that SIPET can serve as an entry point for ASEAN's energy transition, bringing added value to the AEDS platform.
Lisa Sachs emphasised that integrated energy systems require good data, and that a consolidated regional dataset is invaluable to strengthen scenario planning. She highlighted the importance of translating data into policy planning through comparable system analyses, noting that while the world is flush with data, data should be produced with a purpose, as different purposes require different data. In this regard, ACE can serve as a regional anchor for energy data planning, fostering trust and supporting evidence-based decision-making through purposeful and reliable data.
Photo 5. Panel discussion of the AEDS plenary session at AEBF-26.
In the closing round, the moderator invited each panellist to share their key priorities for strengthening ASEAN's energy data ecosystem. Lisa Sachs emphasised that energydata should be relevant to its intended users to support informed decision-making in the energy sector. Sascha Oppowa highlighted the importance of data quality and the need for increased financing, including continued support from the World Bank and other development partners. Shantanu Jaiswal underlined the importance of investing in accessible, user-friendly power sector databases. Zaharin Zulkifli encouraged investment in AEDS as the main regional reference platform, including for tracking progress towards APAEC target, particularly on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Concluding the round, Gauri Singh noted that increasing electrification requires more comprehensive energy data and called for a stronger community of practice built on robust national databases.
The session concluded with closing remarks from Dr Zulfikar Yurnaidi, who expressed appreciation to the World Bank for its continued support, to the panellists for their valuable insights, and to all participants for their active engagement. He reaffirmed ACE’s commitment to revitalising AEDS and emphasised that the recommendations shared during the session, from strengthening data credibility and transparency to building capacity and fostering communities of practice, will inform its continued development into a trusted, user-oriented, and future-ready regional energy data platform.
AEDS will support the implementation of APAEC 2026–2030 by translating energy data into actionable insights for policy planning across ASEAN. The fully functional AEDS is expected to be launched at the 27th ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF) in 2027.
To learn more about ASEAN Energy Database System, please visit our website.
