Powering Wellbeing: Rethinking Electricity Planning Beyond GDP in Southeast Asia?

This report examines how interconnectors are approached today from the financing and business model perspective. It explores how, in combination with broad macro‑financial and market‑specific factors, current approaches may create challenges given the size and characteristics of the APG project pipeline. Rather than focussing on institutions or regulatory frameworks, this report approaches the issue through an investor’s lens – asking how these assets are financed in practice and what must change to make them bankable for a wide set of potential investors.

ASEAN region is experiencing unprecedented warming trends with increasingly severe extreme heat events which can reach 38 degree Celcius in major ASEAN cities by 2050. Everyone is at risk, but not equally. Vulnerable groups, including women, children, the elderly, and low income communities, are disproportionately affected with gender deepening existing inequalities. As extreme heat intensifies, rising demand for cooling drives up electricity use and greenhouse gas emissions and creating a vicious cycle. 

To address this, the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (through the Cool Coalition and EmPower: Women for Climate Resilient Societies Programme) have developed a roadmap to promote passive cooling strategies, presenting key recommendations that can be adopted by ASEAN Member States to scale up passive cooling solutions and foster more resilient cities in the region.

The primary aim of the Outlook is to support APEC economies in achieving their individual and collective energy goals. It also serves as a valuable reference for those seeking to better understand recent and prospective energy developments within the APEC region.

The “Philippine Power Outlook: Reviewing the Adequacy of Power Supply for April to June 2026” report examined power supply projections in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in the second quarter of 2026 based on the power demand and supply outlook presented by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) and the Department of Energy (DOE).

This is the fifth annual release of the Power Outlook Report, which was first launched in 2022, where the reports have consistently shown that power supply issues in the second quarter of each year has been a recurring concern in the country.

The ASEAN International Conference on Energy and Environment (AICEE) provides a platform for researchers to share their findings and exchange innovations to address energy challenges in the region. At its 5 edition in 2025, the conference adopted the theme “Sustainable Energy for ASEAN’s Prosperity: Innovation, Inclusivity, and Regional Cooperation.”

Following the endorsement of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2026–2030 during the 43 ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) under Malaysia’s Chairship 2025, the 5 AICEE findings could serve as references to provide inputs and recommendations to regional energy policymakers in supporting a more inclusive, adaptive, and
evidence-based implementation of APAEC.