Photo 1. Participants of the AIMS III Phase 3 Dissemination Workshop.

On 26 August 2025, The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) successfully held the AIMS III Phase 3 Dissemination Workshop in Jakarta, Indonesia. The event was attended by the representatives of the ASEAN Power Grid Consultative Committee (APGCC) Chair, HAPUA Working Group Chairs, and the ASEAN Energy Regulatory Network (AERN) Chairs along with each respective country representative, with more than 40 in-person and virtual participants coming from all the 10 ASEAN Member States. Among the participants, APG-AP partners (ETP-UNOPS, GIZ-CASE, and UN ESCAP) as the supporting partners of this workshop are present, as well as the study consultants from Ricardo PLC and DNV. 

The one-day workshop was organised to present the findings and recommendations of the AIMS III Phase 3 study to APG-related bodies, gather feedback from ASEAN Member States (AMS) to refine the Strategy to Establish ASEAN Multilateral Power Trade (MPT), and highlight the study’s alignment with the forthcoming APAEC 2026–2030 under Programme Area 1 (ASEAN Power Grid). 

Photo 2. Opening Remarks by Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood of ACE (left), H.E. Sujiro Seam of EU Ambassador to ASEAN (middle), and Sascha Oppowa of CASE (right).

The welcoming remarks were delivered by ACE Executive Director, Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, EU’s Ambassador to ASEAN, H.E. Sujiro Seam and CASE Project Director, Sascha Oppowa. Dato’ Razib expressed his gratitude towards all participants and underlined the importance of the event, particularly in advancing renewable energy integration. He recalled the landmark 1999 ASEAN Ministers of Energy Meeting (AMEM), which first underscored the need for a cooperative regional approach to realize the APG vision. Following this, H.E. Ambassador Seam outlined three key fundamental principles that should guide regional energy cooperation and strengthen EU-ASEAN partnership: cooperation for interconnection, ensuring access to affordable and renewable energy, and reinforcing the value of partnership. Complementing these remarks, the Project Director for CASE underscored the significance of strong partnerships and expressed optimism about jointly shaping the path forward for regional energy cooperation 

Photo 3. Scene-Setting Presentation Delivered by Nadhilah Shani of ACE.

Following the welcoming remarks, ACE opened the workshop with a scene-setting presentation, delivered by Nadhilah Shani, Head of the Power Generation and Interconnection (PIN) Department, which outlined the overview of the ASEAN Power Grid Advancement Program (APG-AP), the progress and brief updates of AIMS III Phase 3, and the expected outcome of the workshop. 

Photo 4. Jonathan Hedgecock of Ricardo’s Presentation on the Minimum Requirements for MPT

Jonathan Hedgecock of Ricardo then presented the key takeaways and recommendations from Work Package 1, on the minimum requirements for MPT, including the proposed market development pathways, building blocks, and the categorisation of potential market development pathways by region. The roundtable discussion that followed underscored several challenges and considerations raised by AMS, such as the prioritisation between national interests and regional objectives, the need to align technical standards and regulatory frameworks, concerns over data sensitivity in regard to data-sharing activities, and the critical importance of financing and legal clarity to build investor confidence. 

Photo 5. Ekaterina Florez of DNV’s Presentation on Key Takeaways and Recommendations for a Region-Wide Integrated Resource and Resilience Planning (IRRP)

Ekaterina Florez from DNV brought forward a presentation on the key takeaways and recommendations for a region-wide integrated resource and resilience planning (IRRP), as Work Package 2 of the AIMS III Phase 3 study. The presentation shed light on the importance of resource adequacy, resilience, and harmonising national and regional framework within the IRRP. The key recommendations shared focused on integrating climate goals, improving planning methodologies, embedding risk and resilience into planning, and strengthening regional collaboration through shared frameworks, institutional roles, and technical standards. Building on these insights, the roundtable discussion highlighted the alignment of IRRP with member states national planning priorities, the importance of data accuracy and adequate human resources, and the challenge of harmonising reporting timelines across member states. Governance and regulatory clarity were emphasised as essential, with ASEAN-level coordination and regulatory participation identified as necessary by the workshop participants. Participants also noted the need to align differing national targets and timelines for renewable energy, as part of the alignment process of national level planning with the regional planning framework. 

Photo 6. Mats de Ronde of DNV’s Presentation on key takeaways and recommendations for the minimum technical standards harmonisation

The fourth presentation, delivered by Mats de Ronde of DNV, addressed key takeaways and recommendations for the minimum technical standards harmonisation. The presentation drew on lessons from SIEPAC, SAPP, and the EU, and underlined the minimum requirements for effective technical harmonisation. The subsequent roundtable discussion urged the necessity of identifying existing gaps across ASEAN before moving toward a sub-regional and even regional grid code. Sub-regional mechanisms, such as the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS-PIP) Joint Operations and bilateral agreements, were acknowledged as effective models, but significant challenges remain, including technical disparities and infrastructure readiness over the region. Participants also underlined the feasibility of a mandatory regional grid code overseen by a supranational body, noting that political will and appropriate legal frameworks would be decisive. As a next step, members agreed on the need to prioritise gap analysis and the identification of priority interconnection projects as the foundation for deeper harmonisation. 

Photo 7. Jonathan Hedgecock of Ricardo’s Presentation on Preliminary Draft of the Strategy for Establishing MPT in ASEAN.

Following the discussion of grid code and technical standards harmonisation, Jonathan Hedgecock from Ricardo briefly delivered a preliminary draft of the Strategy for Establishing MPT in ASEAN. During this presentation, Jonathan stressed the importance of the theory of change, and identified ASEAN’s existing institutional, legal/regulatory, commercial, and technical/operational structures as well as capabilities, and proposed the way forward. 

Photo 8. Nadhilah Shani of ACE Final Presentation on the Next Step and Way Forward for AIMS III Phase 3 and APG-AP.

Towards the end of the workshop, Aurelia Syafina Luthfi and Akbar Dwi Wahyono of ACE delivered a presentation on the relation of AIMS III Phase 3 result to APAEC 2026-2030 for APG Programme Area and Nadhilah Shani concluded the workshop with a presentation on the next step and way forward for AIMS III Phase 3 and APG-AP. These two presentations laid out several concrete frameworks to guide regional cooperation, strengthen policy alignment, and support the implementation of future interconnection projects across ASEAN. Through the dissemination workshop, the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) envisions AIMS III Phase 3 as the main technical reference for the region in advancing its power trading efforts, addressing the minimum requirements needed to move towards a regionwide power trading in the future.