Photo 1. SOE Leaders of 11 ASEAN Member States (AMS) during the Special SOME and Its Associated Meetings 2026
Bohol, 20-22 January 2026 - The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) participated in the Special Senior Officials Meeting on Energy (SOME) 2026 and its Associated Meetings, hosted by Department of Energy, Philippines under their 2026 ASEAN Chairship.
Convening on Bohol, the Philippines, the Meeting aims to review progress, align priorities, and provide strategic guidance on ASEAN energy cooperation particularly on the first year of new APAEC 2026-2030. Senior Officials on Energy (SOE) Leaders from all 11 ASEAN Member States, together with representatives from ASEAN Specialised Energy Bodies (SEBs) and Sub-sector Networks (SSNs), the ASEAN Secretariat, and relevant partners, participated as well in the meetings.
The series of meetings commenced with the SOME–ADB Information Session on Energy Resilience, which was followed by the Special SOME 2026 Meeting and subsequently the 28th ACE Governing Council (ACE GC) Meeting.
Photo 2. Special SOME 2026 Meeting, with the Philippines as the Chairperson and Singapore as the Vice Chair.
The Special SOME 2026 Meeting focused on reviewing and guiding the implementation of the APAEC 2026–2030, particularly the work plans and annual milestones for 2026. In line with the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairship priorities, the Meeting discussed and adopted the proposed Annual Priorities for the ASEAN energy sector in 2026, reflecting a collective commitment to securing inclusive and reliable energy access for the people, powering jobs and sustainable economic growth, fostering innovation through emerging technologies and digitalisation, and building regional resilience through stronger systems, standards, and cooperation.
List of Energy Annual Priorities (APs) under the Philippines’ ASEAN Chairship 2026, as follows:
- Advancing ASEAN Energy Interconnectivity through the Operationalisation of the Enhanced Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on ASEAN Power Grid (APG)
- Publication of the 9th ASEAN Energy Outlook
- Completion of the ASEAN Nuclear Power Plant Financing and Human Resources Development Study
- Completion of the ASEAN CCUS Assessment and Business Model Study
- Completion Upstream Oil and Gas Fiscal Benchmarking Study
- Launch of the Sustainable ASEAN Energy Management Certification Scheme (SAEMAS)
- Completion of Study on Accelerating Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) and Advanced Technologies for vRE Integration
- Completion Study on cross-border Renewable Energy Certificates (REC) market and financial assessment
The detailed strategies and work plans across the seven (7) programme areas of APAEC 2026-2030 were discussed with the respective ASEAN SEBs and SSNs representatives, to ensure coherence, continuity, and effective implementation of regional energy initiatives under the new APAEC phase. Furthermore, the Special SOME also discussed the plan for the operationalisation of the Enhanced APG MoU, including the establishment of its Task Force and Subsea Cable Power Development Framework.
Photo 3. 28th ACE Governing Council Meeting as part of the Special SOME Associated Meetings.
Following the Special SOME, the meetings continued with the 28th ACE Governing Council Meeting, which consulted on the Centre’s accomplishments and activities in 2025 in supporting the APAEC implementation, as well as ACE’s Strategic Plan 2026-2030 and the Work Plan and Budget for 2026.
The ACE Strategic Plan was designed following the mandate from the AMS through the Joint Media Statement (JMS) of the 43rd ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (43rd AMEM), 16 October 2025, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as the Meeting underscored that a strong and well-resourced ACE is critical to advancing ASEAN’s collective efforts to ensure energy security, enhance connectivity, and accelerate the region’s just, inclusive, and sustainable energy transition.
The Meeting supported the ACE’s vision to be a high-performing institution that builds a coherent, coordinated, focused, and robust energy policy agenda and strategy for ASEAN and its mission to serve as a catalyst for the economic growth and development of the ASEAN region by initiating, coordinating and facilitating national as well as joint and collective activities on energy, as stipulated in the Agreement of the Establishment of ACE.
In providing its directives for 2026, the ACE Governing Council tasked ACE to translate ASEAN’s regional energy policy directions into concrete, results-oriented operational strategies and work programmes, enhance coordination with ASEAN SEBs and SSNs, and ensure effective delivery of APAEC 2026–2030 priorities. The Governing Council further encouraged ACE to strengthen institutional capacity, partnerships, and implementation support, in advancing a secure, sustainable, and resilient energy future for the ASEAN region.
