Photo 1. Group photo of the workshop participants.
The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), co-hosted by the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) Malaysia with support from the Australian Government through Aus4ASEAN Futures Initiative, convened the “Consultative Workshop on ASEAN Renewable Energy Long-term Roadmap (RE LTRM) Finalisation and ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) Renewable Energy Programme (2026-2030) Design” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 22 to 23 September 2025.
This hybrid workshop brought together government representatives from seven (7) ASEAN Member States (AMS), including policymakers and renewable energy (RE) experts, to review the results of the RE LTRM. Discussions focused on the projected pathways and implications for the power, transport, and industry sectors across the roadmap’s three scenarios. Participants also explored the RE Programme Area Action Plans for post APAEC 2025, aligning them with national priorities. The workshop concluded with agreement on coordinated strategies to guide ASEAN’s RE cooperation forward.
Photo 2. Opening remarks from H.E. Tiffany McDonald, Ambassador of Australia to ASEAN
To kick off the first day of the workshop, opening remarks were delivered by H.E. Tiffany McDonald, Ambassador of Australia to ASEAN. She highlighted the workshop as a milestone in the ASEAN-Australia Energy Cooperation program, announced by Prime Minister Albanese at the ASEAN–Australia Special Summit in 2024. This milestone serves as a testament to the shared commitment to a green energy transition.
Photo 3. Gadiz Liberty Namira, Junior Associate Officer of SRE at ACE, as Master of Ceremony (left) and Dr Tharinya Supasa, Head of SRE Department at ACE, delivering the scene-setting presentation (right).
Gadiz Liberty Namira, Junior Associate Research Analyst of SRE at ACE, served as the Master of Ceremony of the workshop. Dr Tharinya Supasa, Head of the Sustainable and Renewable Energy (SRE) Department at ACE, delivered a scene setting presentation on the importance of RE LTRM for ASEAN’s Energy Transition, laying the foundation for the workshop’s discussions. The roadmap envisions feasible scientific pathways to narrow the gap between ASEAN regional aspiration and carbon neutrality. It aims to accelerate the supply of renewable electricity and enhance the integration of vREs to meet rising demands, while also highlighting the role of regional platforms like the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) as key enablers. Recognising that energy transition and its associated issues are dynamic, the roadmap seeks to move from generic ideas to specific policy questions stimulation that can be applied in design and implementation of RE programmes.
Session 1: Unveiling the ASEAN RE Long-term Roadmap
Photo 4. Veronica Ayu Pangestika, Research Analyst of SRE at ACE as moderator (left) and Monika Merdekawati, Senior Research Analyst of SRE Department at ACE, delivering a presentation (right).
Moderated by Veronica Ayu Pangestika, Research Analyst of SRE Department, ACE, the session opened with Monika Merdekawati, Senior Research Analyst of SRE Department at ACE, who gave an introduction to the three (3) RE LTRM scenarios: 1) ASEAN Planned Energy and Climate-Policy Scenario (APAS); 2) ASEAN Renewable Electricity Coupling (AREC) Scenario, and 3) ASEAN Shared Energy Resources (ASER) Scenario. APAS looks at ASEAN’s energy transition future driven only by national commitments, AREC demonstrates regional cooperation through coordinated policies with a focus on the power sector, while ASER explores economy-wide decarbonisation through leveraging regional integration and competitive markets. Monika also elaborated the three scenarios’ relation to the APG. While interconnection under APAS remains limited, AREC and ASER envision stronger expansion with 18 interconnection projects. Beyond the technical discussions, the presentation also offered an economic perspective by outlining the investments required to put the roadmap into realisation.
The discussion pinpointed key differences in demand assumptions across scenarios, particularly linked to energy efficiency and electrification pathways. In the transport sector, the modelling reflects how low battery costs make electric vehicles (EVs) more competitive than internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, driving higher electricity demand.
As the workshop’s consultative nature emphasised alignment with AMS, Dr Tharinya sought input on whether they are supportive of the agreed 45% target of installed capacity within the region by 2030, as this was also the consensus reached during the 32nd RE-SSN, on 2-5 July 2025. Esther Lew, Principal Assistant Secretary (Renewable Energy) at PETRA, affirmed that the 45% target is indeed the comfortable middle ground. She noted that the 10% increase from the current 33.5% RE share already represents a prominent step forward for the region.
Session 2: Unboxing Sectoral Pathways, Policy Interventions, and Recommendations
Session two was moderated by Dr Tharinya and kicked off by a detailed overview of Power Transformation System delivered by Monika. She delved into the RE installed capacity of each scenario and noted that the region is on track in achieving the 2025 RE share of 35% in the installed capacity. Under AREC pathway, falling cost of vRE (predominantly through declining rooftop PV and wind cost), activation of 18 APG projects, and electrification in industry and transport will drive RE growth. By 2045, vRE will become the largest source, supported by storage as a core pillar of grid improvement. In conclusion, Monika highlighted that AREC is the most-capital efficient pathway, while ASER enables deeper decarbonisation through supply chain collaboration and carbon pricing.
The presentation was continued by Veronica, who provided deeper insights into Power Generation. Veronica explored the RE and vRE shares in Electricity Generation across the three scenarios. Highlighting ASER, she noted that it is the most ambitious pathway due to the steady rise of RE, with gas peaking around 2030 and then declining, while oil and coal retreat. ASER will reach 81% of RE share by 2045, with nearly half of generation from vRE. Veronica also outlined the six (6) phases of vRE integration, comparing the region’s RE share and vRE share in reference to those phases.
Photo 5. Zahrah Zafira, Research Analyst of STE at ACE delivering presentations during the workshop.
Having addressed the supply side, the discourse then moved toward the demand perspective, Zahrah Zafira, Research Analyst of SRE Department at ACE, delivered a presentation outlining the “Demand Side and Biofuels Trade Transformation”. She highlighted ASEAN’s industry and transport sectors remaining the main drivers of energy demand, with decarbonisation strategies focusing on electrification, efficiency improvements, and biofuels. Hard-to-abate industries such as iron and steel will require policy alignment with technology trends, while low-heat industries such as pulp and paper will need improved financial incentives and public-private partnerships. On the other hand, the transport sector is currently shifting from oil towards electricity and hydrogen. Regional biofuel trade, particularly biodiesel and bioethanol, offers opportunities for cost savings, supply security, and investment, reinforcing ASEAN’s energy resilience through intra-regional cooperation.
Sharing the initial feedback, Dr. Yaowateera Achawangkul from Ministry of Energy Thailand, provided an insight from Thailand that currently the country is facing an oversupply of bioethanol feedstocks, yet only 57% of production capacity is being utilised, pointing to a potential regional solution to address this imbalance. He further noted that while Thailand has set a target of 30% EV deployment by 2030, this ambition will need to be reassessed considering the country’s biofuel objectives. This national perspective underscored the inexorable trade-offs between EV expansion and biofuel deployment in meeting RE targets, which are ultimately shaped by national circumstances. Noting the offered perspective, Dr. Tharinya emphasised that the RE LTRM serves as a projection tool, presenting potential pathways rather than prescriptive policies, and is intended to inform national policymakers as they align their domestic RE targets with regional ambitions. Seconding the very opinion, Esther stressed that the RE LTRM should be regarded as a reference point to guide AMS in determining their national renewable energy deployment strategies.
Following day one, the workshop continued with the second day, commenced with a presentation from Dr. Tharinya who provided a recap of the previous day’s session and an overview of the Outcome-based Strategies (OBS) of the RE Programme Area for APAEC 2026-2023. The objective of the second day was to solicit inputs from AMS on the priority topics and activities they wish to pursue in the next phase of APAEC.
Session 3: Group Discussions on the APAEC RE Programme Area Activity Design
Photo 6. Group discussions
The highlight of day two was the interactive group discussion. AMS delegates were divided into three groups to brainstorm on three OBS of the RE Programme Area. Utilising the online platform Miro, they were encouraged to explore and elaborate on the activities and topics to be included in the next APAEC, including their linkages with the RE LTRM findings.
Photo 7. Amara Zahra Djamil, Junior Communications Officer of ACE (left) presenting on AEBF-25 and Muhammad Ilham Rizaldi, Research Analyst of MPP at ACE (right) presenting on the AEO9.
In the afternoon session, the workshop also featured a presentation on the 25th ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF-25) to be held from 15 to 17 October 2025, remarked delivered by Amara Zahra Djamil, Junior Communications Officer at ACE. Amara that the joint opening ceremony of AEBF-25 and the 43rd ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) will highlight several of Malaysia’s priority energy deliverables, including the official launching of the RE LTRM. Aside from that, AEBF-25 will also feature thematic sessions related to the RE LTRM topics, particularly on Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
Moreover, Muhammad Ilham Rizaldi, Research Analyst of Energy Modelling and Policy Planning (MPP) at ACE, delivered a presentation on the 9th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO9). Ilham highlighted what to expect of the AEO9, including planned improvements and the role of the Renewable Energy Sub-Sectoral Network (RE-SSN) in its development. In relevance to the outlook, the RE LTRM serves as a continued planning product of the previous AEO8, with a stronger focus on policies related to RE.
Returning to the APAEC 2026–2030 design discussions, representatives from each brainstorming group presented the outcomes of their prioritisation exercises, elaborating on the rationale behind the topics identified. Following these presentations, AMS representatives were invited to indicate ten topics and activities aligned with their respective national priorities. As a final step in the mapping exercise, each AMS was also asked to highlight three topics and activities deemed most relevant for regional prioritisation and three others that are considered urgent for regional implementation for 2026 - 2027. This structured, three-tiered approach generated substantial inputs for ACE to consider in finalising the forthcoming APAEC action plan and its implementation timeline.
Photo 8. Esther Lew, Principal Assistant Secretary (Renewable Energy) at PETRA (left) and Gan Chee Koon, Deputy Secretary (Renewable Energy) at PETRA (right), wrapping up the workshop with closing remarks.
To wrap up the workshop, closing remarks was delivered Esther Lew and Gan Chee Koon, Deputy Secretary (Renewable Energy), Sustainable Energy Division at PETRA, who both thanked all delegates for their active participation and contribution to finalising the RE LTRM.
The roadmap was presented and endorsed at the 43rd AMEM to be held in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Malaysia, on 16 October 2025.
