Photo 1. H.E. Joanna Jane Anderson, Ambassador of New Zealand to ASEAN (left), and Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ACE (right), in a meeting at the ACE headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia 

Jakarta, 11 July 2025 – The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE or the Centre) secured NZ$200,000 contribution to advance regional energy transition from the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). The contribution will support the implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC). 

Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ACE, expresses his gratitude for New Zealand’s support, stating, “This grant marks a significant milestone in commemorating 50 years of ASEAN-New Zealand dialogue relations. With New Zealand’s support, the Centre is proud to continue our efforts in advancing ASEAN’s energy cooperation for a sustainable and secure energy development in ASEAN. We express our gratitude to New Zealand MFAT and the Mission of New Zealand to ASEAN for their continued support.”  

H.E. Ambassador Joanna Anderson, Ambassador of New Zealand to ASEAN, also underscores the significance of energy cooperation in the ASEAN-New Zealand dialogue relations, noting, “New Zealand partnering with the ASEAN Centre for Energy for the first time demonstrates our commitment to ASEAN’s energy transition, including the important work on the ASEAN Power Grid and on renewable energy. This support complements our existing cooperation with other ASEAN Centres.”. 

The APAEC, central to ASEAN’s energy transition, serves as the region’s blueprint for energy cooperation. The document sets strategies and action plans for enhancing energy connectivity and market integration in ASEAN to achieve energy security, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability for all. Out of the seven (7) Programme Areas (PAs) in the blueprint, the grant will support the activities and initiatives of three (3) PAs:  

• Programme Area No. 1 – ASEAN Power Grid; 
• Programme Area No. 5 – Renewable Energy; and 
• Programme Area No. 6 – Regional Energy and Policy Planning 

The grant marks the Centre and New Zealand’s continued commitment to deepening regional cooperation and advancing sustainable energy development. As part of the commemoration of the 50 years of ASEAN-New Zealand formal dialogue relations, this contribution reflects a strong and enduring partnership between the region and the state. The Centre looks forward to building on this momentum through impactful initiatives under the APAEC. 

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ABOUT THE ASEAN CENTRE FOR ENERGY 

Established on 1 January 1999, the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) is an intergovernmental organisation within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) structure that represents the 10 ASEAN Member States’ (AMS) interests in the energy sector. ACE supports the implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC), a blueprint for the ASEAN energy sector. The Centre is guided by a Governing Council composed of Senior Officials on Energy from each AMS and a representative from the ASEAN Secretariat as an ex-officio member.     

The three key roles of ACE:    

• As a catalyst to unify and strengthen ASEAN energy cooperation and integration by implementing relevant capacity-building programmes and projects to assist the AMS in developing its energy sector.    

• As the ASEAN energy data centre and knowledge hub, to provide a knowledge repository for the AMS.    

• As an ASEAN energy think tank to assist the AMS by identifying and surfacing innovative solutions for ASEAN’s energy challenges on policies, legal & regulatory frameworks and technologies.   

Keeping the region’s improvement, sustainable and harmless to the ecosystem is a fundamental concern of the ASEAN energy sector. Hosted by the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia, ACE’s office is located in Jakarta, Indonesia.  

For more information about ACE, visit our website: https://aseanenergy.org.    

For further inquiries, please contact:   

• Communications Team at ACE – [email protected]