According to the World Economic Forum, consisting of 10 Member States, ASEAN is currently the fourth largest energy consumer on the earth. At least $ 200 billion must be invested annually to generate enough energy to drive the rapid development of the region.
At the identical time, ASEAN member states that geographical features and a resource -based economy will make them amongst probably the most sensitive parts of the world to climate change. Climate change has a negative impact on each the economy and the well -being of residents living within the region, a few of which include serious drought, reduction of agricultural production resulting from flood and dry spells, and the looks of diseases resembling malaria and dengue fever.
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To remain economically competitive and improve the standard of life in ASEAN countries, joint efforts through financing, research and joint development towards energy transition are needed to alleviate the impact of climate change on the region.
Recent events of the ASEAN strategy aimed toward achieving its climate goals include:
Increased participation in renewable renewable sources in the entire supply of primary energy as a part of the ASEAN motion plan in the sphere of energy cooperation (APAEC)
The APAEC launched in 1999 is defined as “a series of chairms of policies which can be aimed toward promoting multilateral energy cooperation and integration.” In other words, it is taken into account an energy sector plan for the region. The latest phase of cooperation is especially about energy security in relation to the adoption of unpolluted energy sources, encouraging to speed up the energy crossing.
In 2022, the share of renewable energy in the entire primary energy supply increased to 16.22%, almost doubled in relation to its participation in 2021 to eight.4%. The wind and sunny have mainly contributed to this growth. In the long term, renewable energy is concentrated at a maximum of 63.2% of energy supply within the region.
Also read: Indonesia and Singapore signed a bilateral agreement in June 2025 on Clean Energy cooperation
ASEAN POWER GRID: Ensuring access to sustainable energy abroad
No less vital than energy production, connectivity is a must in providing all ASEAN members. At the forty sixth peak of ASEAN in Malaysia, currently the chairman of the Association, called to strengthen the ASEAN (APG) power grid.
To construct such infrastructure, an investment value USD 200 million is required by 2050. This is resolved by the transition of energy, which funds the event of APG by the ASEAN Center for Energy.
The ambition doesn’t end here: towards the good ambition of the pure economy
The last meeting in the sphere of ASEAN’s energy crossing in 2025 also discussed the opportunity of a clean economy agreement, which goals to gather initiatives related to renewable renewable sources into one contract to bypass trade barriers that might hinder the event of pure energy technology, accelerating the progress within the transformation of the facility system and the expansion of trade.
In addition, ASEAN has delved into the study of how residents can grow to be a part of the region’s transformation towards sustainable economic growth. In 2018, the adoption of ASEAN declaration on promoting green jobs in the sphere of own capital and integration growth. It is true that creating jobs related to fossil fuel in Southeast Asia fell after the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the continued global change towards renewable energy sources, the eighth perspectives of Energette Asean expected that the demand for jobs within the renewable sector would proceed to extend, primarily in operation and maintenance.
Asean admitted that establishing grounds for sustainable economic growth is crucial for its member states in maintaining immunity. Going further, strategic cooperation will proceed to play a very important role in achieving continually growing ambitions by way of transition to energy.
Sources:
ASEAN. (and). Promoting green jobs in the sphere of capital and integration growth. ASEAN (ASCC) socio-cultural knowledge center. Downloaded on July 12, 2025 with https://knowasc.asean.org/content/greenjobs/
ASEAN CENTER FOR ENERGY. (2023, April). ASEAN Action Plan for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2016–2025 Phase II: 2021–2025. https://asean.org/book/asean-plan-of-cyte-for-energy-cooperation-apaec-2016-2025-phase-i-2021-2025/
ASEAN Secretariat. (2021, October). ASEAN STATE STATE CHANGE CLIMATATIONS: Current status and prospects for the ASEAN region towards ASEAN CLAMENT VISION 2050 (pp. 45–47). ASEAN Secretariat. https://www.iges.or.jp/en/pub/asean-state-climate-chenge-report/en
Widyaningtyas, N. (2023, October 5). Asean Power Grid within the renewable energy era. Catadata. https://katadata.co.id/indepth/opini/651f70337ce72/asean-power-grid-dalam-era-energi-terbarukan
World Economic Forum. (2025, June). ASEAN ENERGY TRANSITION MEETING. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2025/06/asean-energy-transtion-meeting/
