Photo 1. Representatives from Indonesia’s Directorate General of Minerals and Coal, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, as the chair of the ASEAN Forum on Coal (AFOC), with the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) (left) and representatives from the Philippines’ Energy Resource Development Bureau (ERDB), Department of Energy at the online workshop on “ASEAN Future Coal and Decarbonisation Strategies in Energy Transition”.
On 5 May 2026, the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) organised an online workshop “ASEAN Future Coal and Decarbonisation Strategies in Energy Transition” in conjunction with the 24th ASEAN Forum on Coal (AFOC) Council Meeting this year. The workshop featured representatives from the AFOC focal points from the ASEAN Member States (AMS) as policymakers’ representatives, as well as coal mining companies and coal-power plant utilities from the region.
Hosted by the Philippines’ Department of Energy (DOE), it served as an initiative on opening the dialogue on how comprehensive, realistic, and inclusive clean coal-transition pathways should be developed based on the perspective of all relevant stakeholders within the region. The workshop gathered around 100 participants throughout the session.
Undersecretary Alessandro O. Sales from the Philippines’ DOE opened the workshop by delivering welcoming remarks. He expressed that the workshop is about finding the middle path on regional realism by recognising that coal remains embedded in ASEAN’s infrastructure while the region moves towards more responsible practices in both mining and power generation. Then, it was followed by opening remarks from Dato' Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ACE, which emphasised that the future of coal in ASEAN should be shaped by the people who have worked in it, invested in it, regulated it, and built their communities around it here inside the region. The next opening remark by the Dedi Suprianto, Deputy Director of Mineral and Coal Program Development from Indonesia’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR), also acknowledged the role of coal in the near to medium term. Mentioning the current situation in the global energy market, he stated Indonesia’s commitment to support ASEAN cooperation through stable and responsible coal supply, as well as continued dialogue to help ensure regional energy security.
In the first session, Suwanto, Head of the Fossil Fuels, Hydrocarbon, and Minerals (FOM) Department of ACE, set the scene and introduced the overview of the coal sector in ASEAN under the Programme Area 3: Clean Coal Transformation (CCTR) of the ASEAN Plan of Action on Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026 – 2030. ASEAN accounts for 6% of global coal demand and is one of the top 3 coal users globally after China and India. Unlike the global trend, coal demand in the region increased by 8% in 2024. The growth was mainly driven by the industrial and power sectors, especially in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Viet Nam.
In the second session, representatives from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand discussed the coal transition, emphasising that decarbonization efforts should extend beyond the power sector to include coal-reliant industries like cement and petrochemicals. They identified financing as a critical barrier for clean coal technologies and just transitions for affected communities. The representatives called for stronger policy frameworks and coordinated financing mechanisms. While committing to decarbonization, they acknowledged coal's role in energy security, suggesting pathways such as coal downstreaming and biomass co-firing as pragmatic steps that require regional focus.
In the third session, coal mining representatives from Indonesia and the Philippines highlighted coal's essential role in regional energy security amid rising energy demand and challenges from renewable intermittency and gas constraints. Key barriers to coal transition include policy uncertainty, ESG-related financing issues, domestic market obligations, and high technology costs like CCUS. Instead of a sudden phase-out, they argued for a gradual transition through efficiency, co-firing, fuel switching, and responsible operations. Investments in sustainable mining methods, methane emissions reduction, biodiversity conservation, and pilot decarbonization projects are examples of ongoing initiatives that highlight the need for more robust legislative support and easily accessible funding to strengthen these efforts.
In the fourth session, a representative from Thailand's coal power utilities outlined plans to reduce coal's contribution to the power mix with no new coal-fired plants being constructed and existing plants operating only until the end of their design life. Coal will continue to provide essential baseload support for grid stability and cost management in the interim. The representative highlighted consistent compliance with emission regulations (SO₂, NOₓ, and particulates) and initiatives like biomass co-firing from local agricultural sources. Additionally, the company is enhancing its renewable energy portfolio with hydro-floating solar hybrids, pumped-storage systems, and EV ecosystem development, supporting Thailand's goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 and net-zero emissions by 2065.
The session concluded with a closing remark by Director Demujin F. Antiporda from the Philippines’ DOE. He highlighted the importance of a unified strategy from AMS government and power utilities for a cohesive regional approach in coal transition. The next closing remark by Dedi Suprianto, the Deputy Director of Mineral and Coal Program Development from Indonesia’s MEMR, concluded that the question before ASEAN is not whether coal will transition, but how we manage this transition in a manner that is responsible, inclusive, and grounded in regional realities and ensuring that no country is left behind.
In summary, ACE emphasised that coal transition should be carefully planned to avoid the disruption of energy security, energy affordability, and economic growth. The CCTR Programme Area aims for a responsible and cleaner coal value chain to support the carbon neutrality goals and development. To cover the coal utilisation as well as coal production and distribution, further activities under the Programme Area will include decarbonisation efforts and technologies in coal use, coal-to-chemical, coal power plants repurposing and retirement strategies, good mining governance, post-mining treatment, coal mines repurposing, as well as policies and regulations related to coal mining in the context of energy transition.
