Building the Links: How Southeast Asia Is Accelerating Its Clean Energy Shift 

Welcome to the October 2025 Edition of SIPET Connect. 

This month’s edition explores how Southeast Asia is turning energy transition plans into practice. In our feature interview, Keiju Mitsuhashi of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) discusses how the ASEAN Power Grid is finally gaining traction, with country-level efforts—like the Philippines’ push on geothermal, offshore wind, and grid upgrades—showing how national reforms make regional links possible.

We also unpack the real role of renewable hydrogen in Southeast Asia’s power mix, share updates from Enlit Asia 2025 and Bangkok Climate Action Week, and look ahead to Singapore International Energy Week, where SIPET joins as a media partner.

Plus, don’t miss upcoming events and opportunities driving the region’s clean energy transformation

What happens when cross-border ambitions meet on-the-ground reforms? Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition is entering a decisive phase, where regional ambitions are being matched by national reforms and real investment. As countries work to expand renewables and strengthen power systems, cross-border cooperation is becoming essential to keep pace with growing demand and net-zero goals.

In this Transition Toolbox feature, Keiju Mitsuhashi, Director for Southeast Asia & Pacific Energy Sector at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), shares how the long-envisioned ASEAN Power Grid is finally moving from plans to practice, and what it will take to finance and scale cross-border interconnections. He also discusses ADB’s work in the Philippines, from geothermal and offshore wind to smarter, greener grids.

Key takeaways include: 

• Storage, not baseload: Renewable hydrogen can help store excess solar and wind power for seasonal or peak-demand use—but using it for routine power generation is costly and inefficient.
• Co-firing’s false promise: Blending hydrogen or ammonia with coal or gas delivers only modest emissions cuts while locking in fossil infrastructure.
• High costs and energy losses: Hydrogen power plants are among the most expensive options; in Viet Nam and Indonesia, even low co-firing ratios cost more than renewables with battery storage.
• Competing priorities: Renewable hydrogen is scarce and should be reserved for “no-regret” uses—like fertilisers, heavy industry, and long-haul transport—where alternatives are limited.  

Why this matters: Direct electrification through renewables remains Southeast Asia’s most cost-effective path to decarbonisation. Hydrogen can play a supporting role, but not at the expense of faster, cheaper clean power solutions.  

At Enlit Asia 2025 in Bangkok, the CASE project under GIZ drew nearly more than 100 visitors to its exhibition booth, spotlighting how knowledge platforms and policy dialogue can support Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition. The booth showcased Southeast Asia Information Platform for the Energy Transition (SIPET), CASE’s evidence-based studies and tools, and the Bangkok Solar City storytelling website and guidebook, giving visitors hands-on insights into data-driven approaches for sustainable energy planning. 

Beyond the exhibition floor, CASE took the stage at the Plenary on Digital Transformation, where Maximilian Heil, Regional Project Coordinator, highlighted how digital solutions like the Power Policy Tracker are strengthening transparency, informed decision-making, and regional cooperation across ASEAN. 

The strong turnout at both the booth and the plenary reflected growing momentum for policy-centered collaboration and reaffirmed the role of digital knowledge platforms like SIPET in supporting a just, secure, and interconnected energy transition in Southeast Asia.  

More than 740 visitors from the public, private, and financial sectors experienced the immersive art–science exhibition S.O.S.: Sound of Scorched Earth at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre, part of Bangkok Climate Action Week 2025. 

Through powerful multimedia installations blending research, light, and sound, the exhibition turned complex climate data into vivid, sensory experiences. Many visitors shared that the climate crisis no longer felt abstract — its impacts were made visible, audible, and deeply personal. 

Two special activities amplified the engagement: Flip the Script, a storytelling workshop that drew strong local and international participation, explored how narrative shifts can drive collective climate action. Meanwhile, Green On Green On, an interactive board game, inspired younger audiences to learn about energy and sustainability through play. 

For many, S.O.S. was more than an exhibition, it was a call to action. It reminded audiences that awareness is only the first step, and that everyone has a role in shaping a more sustainable, resilient future. 

At the Global Gateway Forum held on 9–10 October in Brussels, the European Union announced increased support for the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) — a key initiative to enhance cross-border electricity connectivity and expand access to reliable, affordable power for over 670 million people across Southeast Asia. 

Through its Global Gateway strategy, the EU’s flagship investment plan to foster smart, clean, and secure connections in energy, digital, and transport sectors worldwide, the EU aims to mobilise up to €300 billion in public and private financing between 2021 and 2027. 

At the Forum, the EU, several European development finance institutions, and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a Joint Declaration of Intent to advance the ASEAN Power Grid. The declaration, witnessed by representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN Centre for Energy, and ASEAN Member States, underscores a shared commitment to accelerating regional power integration and supporting ASEAN’s plan to elevate the APG Memorandum of Understanding into a Framework Agreement by 2025. 

The discussions at the dedicated APG session focused on investment needs, regulatory harmonisation, and opportunities for expanding renewable generation and interconnections — marking a new phase of EU–ASEAN cooperation on sustainable energy. 

Looking to grow your career or stay ahead in Southeast Asia’s clean energy sector? This section features curated job openings and key upcoming events. Discover roles that align with your goals and events that keep you informed, connected, and inspired.

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