The industrial sector sits at the heart of ASEAN’s energy demand. In 2022, it consumed 185.7 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe), accounting for approximately 43% of the region’s total final energy consumption, making it the largest energy-consuming sector. Under the Baseline Scenario, industrial energy demand is projected to triple by 2050, approaching half of the region’s total energy consumption. As a hard-to-abate sector characterised by its reliance on fossil fuel-intensive operations, industry requires tailored decarbonisation strategies. In this context, improving industrial energy efficiency is essential to near- and medium-term decarbonisation efforts, providing a transitional pathway until fuel switching and alternative technologies become technically and economically viable. Such measures can simultaneously accelerate the energy transition and strengthen regional energy security.
However, the adoption of energy-efficient technologies and practices continues to face multiple barriers, including limited awareness among decision-makers, inadequate access to suitable financing mechanisms, regulatory constraints, and perceived risks associated with capital investments. Overcoming these challenges requires coordinated interventions across policy, finance, and institutional capacity development. Within this context, gender considerations represent a critical yet frequently overlooked dimension of industrial energy efficiency financing. Women and men often experience different constraints arising from social norms, institutional structures, and unequal access to resources. Consequently, the distribution of benefits, risks, and opportunities associated with energy efficiency financing is not gender-neutral. Integrating gender-responsive approaches into financing mechanisms can therefore contribute to more equitable access to investment opportunities while supporting environmental sustainability and broader energy transition objectives.
Against this backdrop, this report presents comprehensive guidelines and monitoring frameworks for integrating gender considerations into energy efficiency financing for industrial enterprises in Indonesia, with potential applicability across other ASEAN Member States. The guidelines target three key stakeholder groups—regulatory bodies, financial institutions, and industrial enterprises—and provide practical approaches to mainstreaming gender equality into policy development, financing mechanisms, and industrial practices while advancing energy efficiency objectives.