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Photo 1. Group photo of participants at the 2nd Consultation Workshop on the ASEAN Energy Efficiency Database and Investment Matchmaking Platform.
The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), through the Asia Low Carbon Buildings Transition (ALCBT) programme, hosted the 2nd Regional Consultation Workshop on the ASEAN Energy Efficiency Database and Investment Matchmaking Platform on 30 April 2025 at DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton, Jakarta. The ALCBT programme is supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) to accelerate building retrofitting for energy efficiency improvement. Under this initiative, ACE is developing a regional one-stop platform that connects project developers and building owners with financial institutions.
The workshop was attended by a total of 139 participants—64 in person and 75 online—comprising 77 male and 62 female participants overall. The attendance demographics were 55% male and 45% female, reflecting a strong gender balance.
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Photo 2. Opening session speakers: (L-R) Dr. Hendra Iswahyudi (MEMR Indonesia), Mr. Asdirhyme bin Abdul Rasib (METW Malaysia), and Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood (ACE).
The event was inaugurated with keynote remarks by high-level representatives across ASEAN. The first opening remarks was delivered by Dr. Hendra Iswahyudi, Director of Energy Conservation at MEMR Indonesia. Dr. Hendra emphasised that building retrofits remain one of the most cost-effective pathways and the platform will be valuable in bridging policy intentions with market execution, particularly in countries where ESCO markets are still emerging.
Asdirhyme bin Abdul Rasib, Undersecretary of Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (METW) Malaysia, delivered the second opening remarks. Asdirhyme added that the energy efficiency agenda aligns closely with Malaysia’s ambition to lead ASEAN’s sustainable transformation. He drew attention to the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act (EECA) 2024, which mandates both public and private actors to take measurable steps toward energy efficiency.Asdirhyme also noted that the potential for the platform to encourage regional knowledge transfer and create opportunities for local financial institutions to develop green financing products.
Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ACE, delivered the final opening remarks with the notion that energy efficiency is the “first fuel” in the energy transition. He stated that the platform is not only a connector of data and stakeholders but also a tool to enhance transparency and comparability across diverse building markets in ASEAN.
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Photo 3. Mr. Rizky Aditya Putra (left) of ACE and Mrs. Charlotte Camille Turk (right) of GGGI presenting ALCBT programme development progress.
Rizky Aditya Putra, Programme Manager of ALCBT at ACE, introduced the ASEAN Energy Efficiency Database and Investment Matchmaking Platform as a regional one-stop solution to accelerate energy efficiency project investments in the building sector. He explained that the four pillars of the platform: a centralised building database to consolidate data on building projects across ASEAN; an energy savings and carbon calculator designed to estimate operational improvements and emissions reductions; a project-investor matchmaking engine to connect building owners with suitable financing options; and a knowledge-sharing hub that offers case studies, practical tools, and best practices.
Charlotte Camille Turk, Asia Regional Investment Lead at GGGI, introduced the Green Finance Network (GFN) and low-carbon building project pipeline development. She highlighted the investment potential of USD 209 billion by 2030 in Indonesia alone and emphasised the importance of building institutional capacity to identify, de-risk, and scale up bankable low-carbon projects. Together, their insights framed the platform as both a technical and financial enabler for ASEAN’s sustainable building transition.
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Photo 4. Abhishek Dubey (left), Vipul Garg (center), and Chunting Li (right) from KPMG demonstrating the platform interface and architecture.
KPMG, serving as the technical consultant for the platform’s development, presented the structure and core functionalities of the Platform, which expected to serve as an “early-stage screening tool” that indicates project viability and promising opportunities. This concept reflects the platform’s intent to streamline project evaluation and reduce the upfront cost needed for initial investor engagement. Additionally, the user interface and data entry workflow were demonstrated, showing how building owners and developers can input key information from building characteristics to equipment specifications.
Photo 5. Panel Discussion 1 featuring panelists from (L-R) Ayala Property Management, GIZ Indonesia, Sinarmas Land, and Malaysia Green Building Council.
The first panel discussion explored the critical role of building performance data in unlocking energy efficiency investments. Moderated by Irma Ramadan, Senior Officer of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Department at ACE, the panel featured distinguished speakers including Michael F. Magpusao, Vice President of Ayala Property Management Corporation (Ayala Property); Felix Ciosconara, Energy Advisor at GIZ Indonesia; Ramzi Rinaldhi, Vice President of ESG and Sustainability at Sinar Mas Land; and Mitch Gelber, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysia Green Building Council (MalaysiaGBC). The discussion addressed practical challenges and opportunities related to data availability, transparency, and usability in driving sustainable building initiatives.
Magpusao shared Ayala Property’s approach of embedding energy efficiency investments into regular capital and operational expenditure planning, treating them as integral long-term asset management strategies and have been deeply rooted in their intensive research and development efforts. He also highlighted the importance of global partnerships with ESCOs in deploying both proven and innovative technologies, noting that Ayala’s data-driven practices have enabled the company to secure green bonds and achieve substantial operational savings. Echoing this perspective, Ramzi emphasised that Sinar Mas’ sustainability efforts are similarly grounded in internal budgeting mechanisms, including routine energy audits and building retrofits. He also underscored their ESG commitment, with several projects achieving more than one certification.
Mitch Gelber offered a reflective perspective on the challenges of over-standardisation. He suggested that while harmonised data protocols are valuable, applying uniform standards could risk overlooking local context. He encouraged the development of locally responsive frameworks that embrace local diversity, while still contributing to shared regional goals.
Panellists further acknowledged ongoing sensitivities around data-sharing among building owners. Ramzi emphasised that transparency should be met with meaningful value propositions—such as incentives, public recognition, or access to financing—to encourage participation. He also pointed out lack of compelling benefits, making it difficult to justify contributing project data without a clearer value exchange. Adding a practical perspective, Felix from GIZ stressed the importance of presenting data in formats that are easily understood by diverse stakeholders, helping bridge the gap between technical experts and decision-makers. Magpusao highlighted the importance of non-fiscal incentives, such as government awards and public recognition as a motivator that created both prestige and momentum for energy efficiency actions.
To summarise, this session underscored leveraging building performance data is fundamental. The success hinges on fostering transparency, reducing administrative burdens, tailoring to local contexts, collaboration between public and private sectors, and recognition mechanisms that motivate stakeholders.
Photo 6. Panel Discussion 2 with speakers from (L-R) CIMB Niaga, ADFIAP, IFC, and the Thai ESCO Association (online).
The second panel discussion focused on the financing landscape for energy efficiency projects and how the platform could bridge existing market gaps. Moderated by Dr. Zulfikar Yurnaidi, Acting Manager of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Department at ACE, the panel featured distinguished speakers including Naufal Rospriandana, AVP of Sustainable Finance at CIMB Niaga; Maria Teresita G. Lacerna, Legal Advisor and Lead for Sustainable Finance and Green Development at the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP); Benjamin Van der Auwera, Green Buildings Regional Lead for East Asia and the Pacific at the International Finance Corporation (IFC); and Christopher Seeley, Committee Member of the Thai ESCO Association, who joined the session virtually.
Van der Auwera emphasised that IFC’s green finance instruments—such as sustainability-linked loans and green bonds—are designed to accommodate varying project sizes and can be deployed through commercial bank channels. He mentioned recent examples of long-tenure green loans including a USD 250 million sustainability-linked loan to Ayala Land and a USD 53 million eleven-year loan to NWP Property in Indonesia, structured in partnership with OCBC. These cases illustrate IFC’s focus on building scalable, de-risked project pipelines that can support both large portfolios and channel capital to local commercial banks for smaller-scale energy efficiency projects across the region.
Lacerna reinforced this point, stressing that many financial institutions lack the technical capacity to evaluate energy efficiency projects and thus rely heavily on third-party certifications or performance guarantees to validate projected outcomes. She advocated for the development of affordable certification mechanisms and blended finance models to support broader market uptake.
Rospriandana echoed the need for accessible data and project transparency, noting that CIMB Niaga sees significant potential in the green building space but often faces challenges in sourcing well-documented and bankable EE projects. He suggested that the platform could play a key role in consolidating verified building information and standardising performance metrics across the region.
Seeley added a practical ESCO perspective, emphasising that successful financing hinges on solid documentation, including robust energy audits, clearly defined baselines, and conservative performance assumptions. He noted that investment-grade documentation significantly increases approval rates and builds trust between project developers and financiers.
Together, the panelists emphasised that bridging the financing gap requires not only technical readiness but also greater alignment between project developers, certification bodies, and financial institutions—something the ASEAN platform is uniquely positioned to facilitate.
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Photo 7. Discussion on the Platform Design feedback led by KPMG
The open discussion surfaced several valuable insights to guide the next steps in the platform’s development, including exploring the potential of project aggregation features to attract large-scale investment, establishing a framework to ensure data confidentiality, accommodating diverse financing options—including ESCOs—and connecting the platform with building certification systems and energy awards programmes.
The workshop concluded with closing remarks from Dr. Apiradee Thammanomai, EE&C-SSN Coordinator and Director at Thailand’s Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE). She thanked participants for their active engagement and emphasised that the platform plays a vital role in enhancing the participation of the private sector and financial institutions in promoting energy efficiency and conservation in ASEAN. Lastly, Dr. Apiradee highlighted the importance of transforming insights from the workshop into concrete actions and partnerships, underscoring that the platform’s success will depend on its ability to bridge ambition with implementation across the region.
The ALCBT project is a five-year initiative supported by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action of Germany under its International Climate Initiative (IKI) to promote low-carbon buildings in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Led by GGGI with partners HEAT International, ACE, and EESL, the project supports carbon management tools, capacity building, financing pathways, and regional knowledge sharing. As buildings account for 22% of ASEAN’s energy use, the development of this platform marks a key deliverable under the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) Phase II: 2021–2025 and Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2025 Energy Priority #4, helping accelerate investment in energy-efficient buildings across the region.
ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) is an intergovernmental organisation within ASEAN structure that represents the 10 ASEAN Member States’ (AMS) interests in the energy sector.