Photo 1. Group Photo at the Book Discussion on 8th ASEAN Energy Outlook. 

ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) collaborated with the Directorate General of Electricity’s Library (Perpus Ditjen Gatrik) from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resource (MEMR) Indonesia in holding “Book Discussion on the 8th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO8)” in Jakarta, Indonesia on 19 March 2025. The hybrid event is part of the initiative to raise the public’s knowledge of the AEO8 report, particularly its national relevance, integrated into the Literature Forum program from Perpus Ditjen Gatrik. 

Photo 2. Opening by Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ACE (left), and Ir. Ida Nuryatin Finahari, M.Eng, Secretary of the Directorate General of Electricity, MEMR Indonesia (right).

To officially open the event, representatives from each institution were invited to give welcoming remarks. The first to deliver her speech was  Ir. Ida Nuryatin Finahari, M.Eng, Secretary of the Directorate General of Electricity of MEMR, Indonesia, mentioned the importance of alignment between the regional outlook and national policies, especially the recently launched Rencana Umum Ketenagalistrikan Nasional (National Power Development Plan) 2025. 

The importance of collaboration and alignment was reaffirmed by a welcoming remark from Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ACE, highlighted Indonesia’s potential and challenges in the energy sector while the country is moving forward with its energy transition commitment. He also emphasised one of the objectives of AEO8, which is to support the ASEAN Member States’ energy policymaking, Indonesia included. 

Photo 3. Moderator, Rika Safrina, Senior Analyst of ACE (centre), and Hasan Maksum from MEMR Indonesia (right) at the discussion session. 

Moving forward to the main event, the speakers and moderator were welcomed to the stage. Rika Safrina, Senior Analyst of the Energy Modelling and Policy Planning (MPP) Department at ACE, began her session with a quiz related to the regional and national energy landscape. The following presentation on the Key Findings of AEO8 discussed ASEAN’s general energy trend and projection based on the AEO8 report, one of them being an increasing energy demand. Without policy intervention (Baseline Scenario), the region would experience 2.6 times the energy demand growth by 2050 compared to the 2022 level, which is mirrored by Indonesia. Rika also presented AEO8’s key findings in Indonesia, including energy trends related to the country’s net zero commitment. 

The second speaker was Hasan Maksum, S.T., the Expert Planner at the Directorate General of Electricity, who shared Indonesia’s existing and future electricity program. Hasan underlined that the primary purpose of electricity development in Indonesia is to ensure a sufficient supply, good quality, and affordable prices. The country itself has three main blueprints for power policy: national, local, and power development plans. One of Indonesia’s power plan highlights was the supergrid plan, which aims to strengthen power interconnection on a national scale. 

The event allowed engaging participants through the Question and Answer session, guided by the moderator. It received an enthusiastic response from participants who attended virtually and in person. The speakers further discussed the energy projections, national energy targets, and ASEAN’s progress with the participants.  

In the midst of ongoing efforts from the AMS to provide energy security, affordability, and sustainability, close cooperation between key players in the energy sector is pivotal. The event served as a platform to raise the public’s knowledge of the insights from the AEO8 and push knowledge transfer between policymakers. 

The 8th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO8) is a flagship report from ACE that serves as a monitoring tool and strategic guide for ASEAN’s energy policy development. Read and download the report at go.aseanenergy.org/AEO8.