As ASEAN intensifies efforts towards regional power integration and harnessing Southeast Asia’s renewable energy potential, Singapore and the International Energy Agency (IEA) jointly organized the Singapore-IEA Regional Training Programme on Connecting ASEAN: Technical, Regulatory and Financial Pathways for Cross-Border Power Trade.
This training program equipped regional stakeholders with knowledge and tools to advance multilateral power trade and develop a more interconnected and resilient regional power grid.
Training program
The training program brought together 200 participants, including policymakers, regulators
In its ninth edition, the training program brought together 200 participants, including policymakers, regulators, and industry stakeholders from 20 countries, to discuss the feasibility and benefits of regional power interconnections.
Representatives from the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), Asian Development Bank (ADB), and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), as well as energy regulators from Australia, Malaysia, and Thailand, and key private sector stakeholders spoke at the event.
They shared insights on developing technical frameworks, regulation, financing models and risk-sharing mechanisms to enable cross-border power transmission.
Shared commitment
IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said: “This annual regional training between the IEA and EMA reflects our shared commitment to advancing secure, sustainable, and cost-effective energy systems in Southeast Asia.”
“The IEA’s Regional Cooperation Centre, which we have set up in Singapore, is playing a vital role in supporting countries of Southeast Asia meet their energy objectives, especially around regional integration of power systems and strengthening energy security.”
ASEAN Power Grid vision
Mr Puah Kok Keong, Chief Executive of the Energy Market Authority (EMA), said: “The ASEAN Power Grid vision is central to the development of a secure, sustainable and resilient energy future for the region.”
“With the establishment of the IEA Regional Cooperation Centre in Singapore, we will work even more closely with the IEA to accelerate efforts to build regional capabilities to advance energy interconnectivity and multilateral power trade. This also builds on the existing work in ASEAN to develop a framework on subsea cable deployment.”
This training program is part of the Singapore-IEA Regional Training Hub. Singapore and the IEA will next co-host the Singapore-IEA Forum on 28 October 2025 at the 18th Singapore International Energy Week, held in conjunction with Singapore’s 60th anniversary celebrations.