Photo 1. Group photo of the EE&C-SSN Working Group on Industry Meeting Participants
Jakarta, 10 March 2026 – The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) successfully convened the 2nd Meeting of the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Sub-Sector Network (EE&C-SSN) Working Group on Industry in Jakarta, Indonesia. Representatives from eleven (11) ASEAN Member States (AMS) and ACE gathered both in-person and online to deliberate on progress, plans, and challenges in the industry sector, aligned with Programme Area No. 4 – Energy Efficiency & Conservation (EE&C) of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC).
Photo 2. Norazrin Rupadi, Deputy Director of Energy Efficiency & Conservation Regulatory Section, Energy Commission Malaysia and Chair of the Working Group on Industry.
The meeting was chaired by Norazrin Rupadi, Deputy Director of Energy Efficiency & Conservation Regulatory Section, Energy Commission Malaysia and Chair of the Working Group on Industry. During his opening remarks, Norazrin underscored that cooperation among AMS in advancing the industrial sector to meet energy efficiency targets, as it contributes to industrial competitiveness, reduced operational costs, and strengthens energy security for a more sustainable energy future in the region.
Photo 3. Naing Naing Linn, Manager of EE&C Department, ACE.
Tung Phuong, Senior Officer of APAEC & Strategic Department, ACE provided a scene-setting presentation on accelerating industrial decarbonisation in ASEAN, covering positive trends, implementation gaps, and challenges. During the discussion, participants noted that key challenges include varying levels of awareness, high upfront costs, limited technical expertise, and inconsistent regulatory frameworks across AMS, and noted that improvements in energy intensity alone do not guarantee absolute reductions in energy consumption.
On the other hand, Naing Naing Linn outlined achievements of the industry sector in the APAEC Phase II: 2021-2025 and plans for APAEC 2026-2030. She noted that key plans for 2026 include improvement of energy efficiency for industrial equipment and facilities, application of digital transformation and renewable energy technologies, development of energy efficiency guidelines for food and beverage and SME sectors, capacity building on energy efficiency in industrial parks, and webinars on energy efficiency potential in ASEAN industry. Additionally, the Philippines 2026 Chairship priorities include the formal launch of the Sustainable ASEAN Energy Management Certification Scheme (SAEMAS) and the creation of a harmonised certification system for energy managers across all 11 AMS.
Photo 4. Rio Jon Piter Silitonga, Senior Officer of EE&C Department, ACE (left) and Dan Resky Valeriz, Officer of EE&C Department, ACE (right).
Rio Jon Piter Silitonga, Senior Officer of the EE&C Department, ACE, presented on the study on industrial energy efficiency policy and its potential developments. The discussion noted ASEAN’s industrial energy demand, energy-efficiency targets, the role of the ESCO market, and the significant energy-saving potential in Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It also noted Malaysia’s update on the successful implementation of its EE&C Programme and the ongoing development of its next phase, which will expand efficiency measures and introduce stricter standards for electric motors.
On the other hand, Dan Resky Valeriz, Officer of EE&C Department, ACE, shared the status of the industrial database development for priority sub-sectors, particularly steel, cement, and pulp and paper, which will be integrated with ACE’s ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO) system. He highlighted the need to strengthen industry engagement, improve data architecture and reporting alignment, and prioritise key indicators to ensure feasible and sustainable data collection across AMS.
Following Dan’s presentation, Rio updated the meeting with recent developments and ongoing projects in several regional industrial energy efficiency initiatives. This included the progress of SAEMAS Common Standard Module and its readiness for formal endorsement, implementation of the Green Climate Fund-Korea Development Bank (GCF-KDB) Industrial EE Financing Programme, and ongoing AJEEP Carbon Neutrality Diagnosis activities in industrial facilities across ASEAN.
Photo 5. Afham Kilmi, Officer of MPP Department, ACE (left) and Tung Phuong, Senior Officer of APAEC & Strategic Partnership, ACE (right).
Moving onto the next presentation, Afham Kilmi, Officer of the Energy Modelling and Policy Planning (MPP) Department, shared the AEO9’s data collection in relevance to the industry sector. As a significant share of industrial energy consumption is grouped under “other industries and unspecified”, he highlighted the AEO9’s efforts to reduce reliance on broad aggregated categories that limit data precision. To support this, ACE requested AMS to help strengthen industrial energy data by confirming the availability of national datasets and identifying the relevant institutional sources.
Following that, Tung Phuong presented on the Clean Industrial Manufacturing and Energy-Efficient Eco-Industrial Parks, covering updates under the ASEAN-UK Programme on Energy Advancements (FLOW), which include the C-IMPACT Project, implemented by the Climateworks Centre, and the ASEAN Energy Efficiency Guidelines for Industrial Parks, implemented by SEForALL.
Photo 6. ASEAN Member States providing inputs and comments during the meeting.
Photo 7. Vu Trong Duc Anh, Officer of EE&C Department, ACE (left) and Norazrin Rupadi, Deputy Director of Energy Efficiency & Conservation Regulatory Section, Energy Commission Malaysia and Chair of the Working Group on Industry (right).
The summary and way forward were presented by Vu Trong Duc Anh, Officer of EE&C Department, ACE. To wrap up the meeting, Norazrin delivered closing remarks and expressed his sincere gratitude to all delegates and participants for their contribution. He noted that the perspectives shared during the discussions highlighted the importance of collaborative work to address the growing challenges in ASEAN’s industrial sector.
Moving forward, ACE will continue to coordinate with AMS in implementing the agreed follow-up actions under the APAEC 2026–2030 and in strengthening regional cooperation, technical exchange, and policy alignment to further accelerate the energy efficiency agenda for ASEAN’s industrial sector.
