On Oct. 7, the 44th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) was convened in Pasay City. Our very own Secretary of the Department of Energy, Sharon Garin, chaired the meeting while Dr. Tan See Leng, Minister for Energy, Trade, and Industry of Singapore was vice-chair.
As the meeting name indicated, the event was attended by energy ministers and other representatives from ASEAN member states.
Just two days earlier, the ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF) was held under the theme “Clean Energy Unlocked: A Stronger ASEAN.” This gathering has been the premier platform for shaping the region’s energy landscape for over two decades. The meeting brought together policymakers, industry leaders, and innovators, fostering collaboration that drives solutions and progress.
These meetings are being held with a specific objective in mind: for the ASEAN as a region, and for ASEAN member-states, to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy, electrification, energy storage, and regional grid development. These will ultimately reduce the region’s exposure to imported fossil fuels and make it less vulnerable to volatile prices and global supply disruptions.
Global events in the past few years have highlighted the importance of energy sustainability and self-reliance. The pandemic, for instance, and the mobility restrictions it occasioned brought an overwhelming logistical challenge to nations of the world. Similarly, the conflict in the Middle East and the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz, where a significant part of global trade — including oil — passes have also brought difficulties in terms of availability, access to, and price of oil and other commodities. And then of course, to address climate change, a shift away from fossil fuels and toward cleaner sources of energy must be effected.
Indeed, energy security has emerged as one of the most complex and most pressing issues among economies.
These abstract ideals are expected to translate into concrete projects, investments, and infrastructure — results that will only be possible through cooperation among like-minded countries and between the public and private sector to build more resilient energy systems and translate shared priorities into practical outcomes. These partnerships can help bring together the technology, expertise, financing, and infrastructure needed to strengthen energy resilience.
The forum underscored that the ASEAN now needs to turn political commitments into concrete action. The discussions following AMEM and AEBF highlighted the need to translate the region’s energy goals into projects, infrastructure, regulatory reforms, and investment. This is where ASEAN’s engagement with like-minded governments, industry, and institutions becomes important — not simply as cooperation for its own sake, but as a means of delivering tangible energy-security outcomes.
The ASEAN already has clear targets for renewable energy and electrification. Energy ministers have affirmed renewable energy, storage, electrification, and distributed energy resources as key priorities. Under the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC), the region is targeting a 30% renewable energy share in total primary energy supply and a 45% renewable energy share in installed power capacity by 2030. The 9th ASEAN Energy Outlook estimates that ASEAN needs to add 31 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy capacity annually through 2030 to meet the 45% target.
The ASEAN Power Grid (APG) is a strategic initiative where regional cooperation and partnerships can deliver energy security. The APG has the potential to provide more affordable electricity to some 700 million people while strengthening national and regional power systems. ASEAN energy ministers have agreed to accelerate its development, but moving from plans to actual infrastructure will require sustained cooperation among governments, industry, investors, and regional partners.
Robert Cooke of the Global Renewables Alliance said expanded and modernized grids are necessary to integrate greater volumes of renewable energy while improving flexibility and stability.
The scale and urgency of the energy challenge make partnerships even more important. According to the International Energy Agency, ASEAN electricity demand increased by more than 60% between 2015 and 2025, underscoring the drive to achieve full electrification by 2035.
The energy transition is also an opportunity to deepen economic partnerships. Ann Francisco of the Global Wind Energy Council said ASEAN’s transition can support stronger local industries and create jobs, particularly through offshore wind development. She said her organization will continue working with industry, government agencies, banks, and regional institutions to translate cooperation into concrete outcomes.
In the pursuit of energy resilience and security, the Philippines and its peers in the ASEAN should continue building a broad coalition around energy security and the clean-energy transition. Maintaining these partnerships can help ensure that its energy commitments are backed by the technology, capital, expertise, and implementation capacity needed to deliver them.
The theme of the Philippines’ leadership as AMEM Chair 2026, “Navigating Our Future Together,” is underlined by the sub-theme “Shaping the Energy Future Together through Partnership, Innovation, and Resilience.” This highlights the importance of meeting uncertainties through four strategic energy agendas: Securing People through inclusive and reliable energy access; Powering Jobs through enabling investment, skills development, and green industries; Fostering Innovation through emerging technologies and digitalization; and Building Resiliency through stronger systems, standards, and regional cooperation.
Energy security is a long way away, but the commitment of ASEAN economies and member-nations’ desire and commitment to build abstract ideas into specific, actionable plans makes the goal just a bit more achievable.
Victor Andres “Dindo” C. Manhit is the president of the Stratbase ADR Institute.