Photo 1. Group Photo of the BIMP Country Consultations participants 

The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) supported by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) successfully hosted a BIMP Country Consultations as one of the activities under the ASEAN Power Grid Advancement Program (APG-AP) on 3 September 2024. The meeting is conducted back-to-back with the 11th Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Power, Energy, and Infrastructure Cluster (PEIC) Meeting which was conducted on 5 September 2024. The focus of the consultation meeting was among other to provide an update on  progress of the ASEAN Power Grid Advancement Program (APG-AP), a project conducted by ACE, Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership (ETP-UNOPS), GIZ’s Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy for Southeast Asia (CASE) and UN ESCAP as well as to consult with the BIMP countries on the potential of development of regional multilateral power trade (MPT) and interconnection development under APG.  

Held in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, the annual bilateral consultation gathered representatives of utilities, regulators and policymakers from four (4) ASEAN Member States (AMS) namely Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia (with representatives of Sarawak and Sabah) and the Philippines to support the fulfilment of ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Corporation (APAEC) Program Area No. 1: ASEAN Power Grid (APG) for the impeccable clean energy deployment in Southeast Asia, regional energy security and energy affordability through APG-AP.  

Photo 2. Opening Remarks by Nadhilah Shani, Senior Research Analyst at ACE 

The day commenced with opening remarks from distinguished figures. Nadhilah Shani, Senior Research Analyst on Power at ACE, set the tone with warm hospitality to Brunei Darussalam for hosting the meeting and emphasised the need for a strong sub-regional collaboration within the BIMP-EAGA framework in ensuring energy security. Following her remark, Dimas Fauzi, Programme Management Senior Officer at UNOPS and Matthew Wittenstein, Chief of the Section of Energy Interconnectivity at UN ESCAP underlined the UN’s roles in supporting the APG-AP in driving resilient and sustainable development across Southeast Asia.  

The first session started with an introduction presentation conveyed by Nadhilah Shani on the comprehensive overview of how BIMP sub-region integration fits into the ASEAN Power Grid’s strategic objectives. This was followed by a scene-setting presentation by Matthew Wittenstein, Chief of the Section of Energy Interconnectivity at UN ESCAP, who provided a brief analysis of the APG-AP roadmap for MPT in ASEAN, focusing on the potential pathways for BIMP-PIP development.  

The session transitioned to an update from delegations on plans for cross-border integration among BIMP countries from Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines delegates. Brunei Darussalam accentuated the significance of its interconnection with Sarawak in advancing the region’s power exchange capabilities, while Malaysia highlighted the completion of the Sarawak-Sabah interface and its potential for further integration. Indonesia focused on the role that power trade can play in supplying the new capital, Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN). Lastly, the Philippines also addressed the country’s priority to enhance the national grid interconnections. 

The joint session was marked by insightful discussions, with participants stressing the need for further capacity building and the importance of a coordinated approach involving utilities, regulators, and policymakers in overcoming the challenges associated with MPT in the BIMP sub-region. 

Photo 3. Bilateral Consultations from BIMP Countries, with Dr. Nurleyna binti Yunus of MEESty Sarawak (top-left), Ir. Wanhar of MEMR Indonesia (top-right), Freddie Stephen Tong of AENBD Brunei Darussalam (bottom-left), and Dir. Nilo J. Geroche of DOE Philippines (bottom-right) sharing their views and progress on the BIMP-PIP initiative 

The discussions divert to the importance of accentuating collaboration among utilities, regulators, and policymakers to advance multilateral power trade and strengthen energy security in the sub-region. As a follow-up to the BIMP country consultations, ACE and UN ESCAP will continue bilateral consultations with the remaining ASEAN countries to further foreground the priorities in establishing and implementing multilateral power trade across the region. 

Despite varying stages in shaping the substantive progress, the consultations meeting appreciated the close coordination among BIMP countries that marks a significant step forward for further capacity building to build up technical and regulatory capacities of the BIMP countries and stakeholders coordination meeting between the utilities, regulators, and policymakers to address the challenges and discuss the way forward for MPT in the sub-region. 

(PAM/MNA)