Photo 1. The official soft launching ceremony of the AEBF-26 featured H.E. Sharon S. Garin, DOE Secretary & Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ACE, together with ACE Officials and partner representatives from FirstGen, Meralco Power Generation, HUAWEI, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Energy Lawyers Association of Philippines (ELAP), Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).
METRO MANILA — The Department of Energy (DOE) - Philippines, in collaboration with the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) and Leverage International, officially launched the 26th ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF-26), setting the stage for a major regional gathering aimed at advancing energy cooperation, investment, and connectivity across Southeast Asia.
Scheduled from 05 to 09 October 2026 in Metro Manila in parallel with the 44th ASEAN Energy Ministers Meeting, AEBF-26 will serve as a key platform for governments, industry leaders, investors, financial institutions, and other stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and mobilize investments supporting ASEAN's transition toward a more secure, interconnected, and sustainable energy future.
The forum is expected to bring together energy ministers from the 11 ASEAN Member States, global industry leaders, and more than 1,500 delegates from across the region and beyond.
AEBF 2026 will carry the theme “Clean Energy Unlocked: A Stronger ASEAN,” with the sub-theme “Driving Innovation and Investment Toward a Sustainable Energy Future.” The theme underscores ASEAN's efforts to accelerate clean energy development while deepening regional cooperation and economic integration, complementing the Philippines' ASEAN-26 Chairship theme, “Navigating Our Future, Together.”
Photo 2. The soft launch event officially commenced with a keynote address delivered by H.E. Sharon S. Garin, DOE Secretary.
Energy Secretary Sharon S. Garin said the Philippines' hosting of AEBF-26 provides an important opportunity to translate ASEAN's shared energy priorities into stronger partnerships, concrete investments, and projects that benefit the region.
“ASEAN’s energy future will depend on how effectively we turn our shared ambitions into concrete investments, stronger regional connections, and projects that deliver reliable, affordable, and cleaner energy to our people. As ASEAN Chair, the Philippines wants AEBF-26 to be a platform where governments, industry, and investors move beyond discussions and build the partnerships needed to unlock the region’s enormous energy potential,” Secretary Garin said.
ACE Executive Director Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood underscored the scale of investment required to support ASEAN's growing energy requirements and clean energy transition.
“Our region needs around USD 200 billion in annual energy investment by 2030 and 75 percent of that, roughly USD 150 billion, must go toward clean energy. In 2021, we mobilized just USD 30 million. That gap is precisely what AEBF-26 exists to help close,” Dawood said.
Photo 3. Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ACE, presented the AEBF-26 overview, followed by an address on “Connecting ASEAN Energy Priorities with Business and Investment Opportunities”.
AEBF-26 will feature policy dialogues, high-level roundtables, business-to-business engagements, and exhibitions covering key regional priorities, including the ASEAN Power Grid, Renewable Energy Certificates, energy efficiency, and energy financing and investment.
The Forum will also feature the Philippines Energy Investment Forum and the ASEAN Sustainable Aviation Fuel Conference, alongside the launch of the 9th ASEAN Energy Outlook and the ASEAN Energy Investment Report, as well as activities under the Sustainable ASEAN Energy Management Accreditation Scheme (SEAMAS) Program for the Energy Efficiency Certification Scheme.
Building on the previous AEBF held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, AEBF-26 will provide a platform for governments and the private sector to advance regional energy priorities, develop partnerships, and help mobilize the capital and technologies required to meet ASEAN's growing energy needs.
The DOE and ACE are inviting stakeholders from government, industry, financial institutions, development organizations, and civil society to participate in AEBF-26 and contribute to discussions on ASEAN's energy future.
For more information on AEBF 2026, visit https://www.asean-aebf.com/
