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Philippine Power Outlook: Reviewing the Adequacy of Power Supply for April to June 2025

The “Philippine Power Outlook: Reviewing the Adequacy of Power Supply for April to June 2025” report examined power supply projections in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao in the second quarter of 2025 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 fourth 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.

04-2025     |     ICSC - Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities
Energy Transition Energy Access Energy Efficiency Energy Management
Scoping Methane Emissions in ASEAN''s Oil and Gas Sector

The report analyzes methane emissions in ASEAN’s oil and gas sector, revealing critical gaps in data, monitoring, and policy. It showcases early action by NOCs like Pertamina and Petronas and introduces HORIZONS—a new regional platform for methane mitigation. With actionable insights, it calls for stronger coordination to make methane reduction central to ASEAN’s clean energy transition.

04-2025     |     ACE - ASEAN Centre for Energy
Carbon & Renewable Energy Energy Environment Policies and Practice
Accelerating Renewables & Storage Decarbonization Energy Investment Trends Public Energy Investment Indonesia Asia

Accelerating renewable electricity deployment is vital for Indonesia’s net zero goals. This report recommends a regulated joint transmission network utilisation scheme to unlock private investment, enable corporate renewables procurement, and support PLN’s grid plans—positioning Indonesia competitively alongside regional peers like Vietnam and Malaysia in the clean energy transition.

04-2025     |     Unaffiliated
Renewables Decarbonization
Mitigation Spotlight: The Philippines

Despite contributing just 0.48% of global emissions, the Philippines faces severe climate impacts. This ACT2025 brief highlights the country’s evolving mitigation efforts, energy transition priorities, and the need for just, community-centered solutions aligned with national development goals—underscoring the urgency for global support and stronger climate ambition.

04-2025     |     Unaffiliated
Climate Change
Policy Insight - Malaysia: Guide For Cross-Border Electricity Sales (CBES)

The Guide for Cross-Border Electricity Sales (CBES) serves as a comprehensive guide or framework in advancing ASEAN’s regional energy integration, facilitating power trade between Peninsular Malaysia and neighbouring countries, specifically Singapore and Thailand. The guide establishes two distinct schemes: the CBES Scheme, which governs non-renewable electricity exports, and the CBES RE Scheme, which enables the cross-border trade of renewable energy. Each scheme has its own set of regulatory requirements, infrastructure needs, and market mechanisms in shaping Malaysia’s role as an electricity exporter in the region.

03-2025     |     ACE - ASEAN Centre for Energy
Energy Transition Power Distribution Power Transmission Renewable Sources
#AccelerateAction: Powering Gender Equality Through Energy Sector Transformation

This year’s International Women’s Day highlights the necessity to accelerate gender equality through actions, #AccelerateAction (IWD, 2025). Energy, one of the main GHG emitters, could be instrumental to fill the gap of gender disparity with the right approach to sectoral transformation. In this article, we will explore the nexus of gender and energy, and what actions can be taken to improve the energy sector to be more equitable and inclusive.

UN Women defines gender equality as “the equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men and girls and boys. It does not mean they will become the same, but their rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on their sex/gender” (Source: UN Women Training Centre)

Gender – Energy interplay

Looking at the smallest unit of society – the family – women often play a central role as care workers, such as cooking, cleaning and taking care of children and elderly family members, especially in the ASEAN context. Providing them with access to clean energy not only prevents exposure to air pollution but also empowers them by leveraging their role from mere end-users to entrepreneurs or leaders for example, installing solar PV on their rooftop (ASEAN Centre for Energy, 2022), particularly women in rural areas who have been identified as a marginalised group. According to the latest ASEAN Gender Outlook, many households still rely on unclean fuels for cooking, particularly in Cambodia and the Philippines, where an estimated 15% and 17% of women, respectively, are at an inappropriate level of respiratory diseases risk due to this activity.

With depleting ecological resources and the climate crisis, the energy sector now requires transformation. Increasing diversity in the workforce and leadership positions has proven to drive more innovation, efficiency and sustainability in the sector. (UN Women, 2023). For instance, in the private sector, firms with more women represented in decision-making positions outperform those with fewer women (IEA, 2021). 

Therefore, integrating gender equality and diversity into the energy transition process should not be up for debate but a default setting.

The Glass Ceiling

Nonetheless, women’s representation in the energy sector remains limited. Globally, Women represent around 32% in the renewable energy sector and 22% in the fossil-based sector (IRENA, 2019). Women are still underrepresented in STEM jobs and senior management levels, constituting only about 14% of leading roles in energy firms (IEA, 2019). In the ASEAN region, women represented only 8% of the energy workforce (ACCEPT, 2024) – therefore the proportion of women in leadership roles would be even less. In terms of working conditions, there is still a 19% wage gap between women and men in the energy sector, which is greater than the non-energy sector. (World Economic Forum , 2022)

Referring to the activity “Women in Energy” where we convened women professionals in Thailand’s energy field to discuss their journey in the sector and the barriers preventing women from working in the field. There were many barriers which ranged from lack of awareness of opportunities (because the energy sector is viewed as STEM dominant) or self-perception (e.g. low self-confidence in their ability to understand technical issues) and technical discouraging working conditions e.g. safety, lack of policies to share care work. Apiradee Thammanomai, Director of the Strategy and Planning Division at the Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE), pointed out that “Women are forced to choose between career growth and family responsibilities”. Some women may refuse to take on a leadership role due to societal expectations that women should prioritise the family. These situations may undermine women’s representation in leadership positions in the energy sector, which could result in an unsustainable transition.

Shatter The Glass

Transitioning energy sector, from fossil-based to renewables, is not merely a climate solution but it could be an opportunity to address social disparity.To achieve this goal, mainstreaming gender into energy-related discussions is essential. There are several actions that can be taken by different stakeholders to enhance gender equality in the sector. Below are some examples:

Through Policies:

Gender mainstreaming in energy policy design: in the ASEAN context, the Roadmap on Accelerating ASEAN RE Deployment through Gender-Responsive Energy Policy was formulated in 2022, it aims to close the gender gap in RE sector and attract development finance through gender-responsive public policies. However, it can also be used as a reference to design gender-energy nexus policies. Another tool is a guideline for policymakers developed by the UNEP and UN Women, providing a step-by-step guide on how to integrate gender in energy policies.

Utilising gender toolkit or checklist developed for the energy sector: additionally, the Philippines Department of Energy has developed a Gender Toolkit for the Energy Sector, which equips policymakers and other stakeholders such as donor agencies, and the academic community with a guideline and checklist when designing energy programs or projects and MRV framework to monitor its impact. DOE also implements a policy to improve the number of women’s participation in RE sector by providing capacity building and technical assistance.

Ensuring a proportion of candidates are women or from marginalised groups: by doing so, it would guarantee diversity of the candidates and thus, more access to opportunities for marginalised groups. Indonesia enacted a law (Article 55 of Law 8/2012), that stipulates at least 30 percent of members of the House of Representatives candidates must be women.

Through Finance and Budget:

Inclusive financial support: by having budgets and investment plans that are designed gender-responsive e.g. initiatives to support women entrepreneurs, and Gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) can ensure the distribution of the cost of transition so that women benefit equitably. 

Through Education:

Promote enabling educational policies and programs: insufficient female representation in STEM jobs leads to a lack of female role models, therefore, at an institutional level, enabling policies and programs are required to promote educational and career opportunities for women.

Through the Workplace:

Workplace policies that help alleviate unpaid care work: for instance, flexible working hours, a working from home policy, daycare facilities for employees with young children.

Non-conscious bias training for the hiring unit and managers: tackling gender inequality can start by becoming aware of unconscious bias, which may influence the way we decide.

Energy could be instrumental to tackle societal gaps, including gender disparity, through improving wellbeing, to mainstreaming inclusion and diversity into different levels of decision-making. Addressing gender equality in the energy sector, therefore, requires a systematic approach at all levels by all stakeholders; it is everyone’s responsibility to #AccelerateAction.

*This blog was originally published on the website for the project Clean, Affordable, and Secure Energy for Southeast Asia (CASE).

03-2025     |     Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy (CASE)
Energy Transition
Bridging the Gap: Anouj Mehta on Transition Finance in Southeast Asia

A decade after the Paris Climate Agreement, Southeast Asia’s financial sector is increasingly focusing on supporting investments that contribute to decarbonization. Transition finance has emerged as a critical enabler, bridging the gap between today’s fossil-based economies and the clean energy future that governments and corporations aspire to achieve through their net-zero commitments.

In this exclusive conversation for SIPET Connect, Peter du Pont, Senior Advisor on the GIZ CASE project speaks with Anouj Mehta, Director of ADB’s Thailand Resident Mission. Mehta, who is the architect of the $2 billion ASEAN Catalytic Green Finance Facility (ACGF). shares insights on how transition finance can be scaled up effectively. With extensive experience in structuring financial solutions for green infrastructure, Mehta discusses the realities of mobilizing private capital, the role of development finance institutions (DFIs), and the innovations required to make transition finance work for Southeast Asia.

* * * * *

SIPET Connect: Transition Finance is gaining traction globally, but how would you define it in the context of Southeast Asia? How does it differ from green or sustainable finance?

Anouj Mehta: Transition finance is fundamentally about mobilizing finance that can incentivize public and private sector entities to make the shift to much more resilient and environmentally sustainable practices than they currently deploy so as to lead to a much lower carbon footprint. This can be across all sectors whether in manufacturing, agribusiness, infrastructure, or services. Unlike green finance for projects that are immediately eligible and sustainable per green taxonomies, transition finance focuses on those hard-to-abate sectors, which require much more support in establishing a pathway towards the final goal of low emissions and resilience.

Southeast Asia has a complex energy landscape. Despite ambitious net-zero targets, the region remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels, particularly coal, which accounts for as much as 40% of power generation in many countries. The challenge is that many businesses, particularly in hard-to-abate industries like steel, cement, and transport, lack access to affordable financing to transition away from fossil fuels. This is where transition finance plays a crucial role. For example, it can facilitate the necessary financial mechanisms to support a range of investments, including:

1. Transition to a renewables energy mix;

2. Grid modernization to integrate intermittent renewables more effectively;

3. Energy efficiency improvements across industrial and commercial sectors;

4. Low-carbon transport systems including electrification of bus and rail networks; and

5. Risk-sharing mechanisms that encourage private investment in decarbonization projects.

This is where derisking or catalytic funds can make a difference. For instance, the ACGF aims to blend sovereign finance with funds from concessional donors so as to derisk green projects and hence attract commercial finance sources.

 

SIPET Connect: What role do Development Financing Institutions, or DFIs, play in structuring multi-donor transition finance mechanisms?

Anouj Mehta: DFIs are essential in creating viable financing structures that balance risk and return. Transition finance often involves investments that are not immediately commercially attractive, so DFIs could try and mobilize concessional finance, provide risk guarantees, and technical assistance to make these projects bankable.

Take ACGF, for example. We pool resources from multiple partners—ADB, the EU, Green Climate Fund, the UK, Germany’s KfW, and others—to create structured, multi-donor financing programs or projects. This approach ensures that projects in more challenging sectors, which often struggle to attract private capital, receive the bankability enhancement needed to move forward.

Good examples are emerging from the ACGF work which involves blending and derisking such as the Davao Public Transport Modernization Project in the Philippines which is the first project in the country to deploy electric bus fleets at scale, almost 1100 e buses, will service nearly 800,000 passengers daily, and targets a 60% reduction in the city’s urban transport GHG emissions– this could serve as a replicable pilot for the country and the region; other projects with great replication potential include the SDG Indonesia One green finance facility and Thailand focused GSS Bonds + program

 

SIPET Connect: What are the biggest bottlenecks preventing transition finance from scaling up in Southeast Asia?

Anouj Mehta: The availability of transition capital through locally available finance facilities that can be flexible and affordable is perhaps the biggest challenge. Traditional financing sources have yet to adapt to this need, with either being very commercial and focused on risk-return paradigms that do not allow untested transition innovation or very complicated public finance processes that might be slow in deployment and reach. Three other key challenges are:  

1. Low level of deployment of innovative transition finance instruments such as transition bonds or incentive-linked financing products

2. Lack of clarity especially at SMEs and SOEs on transition pathways and targets that need to be developed

3. There is often regulatory uncertainty, as the policy frameworks for transition finance are still evolving. Governments need to provide clear guidelines and incentives to de-risk investments.

All of this is why collaboration between DFIs, policymakers, and the private sector is critical. Countries that have taken a proactive approach—such as Thailand, which recently issued sustainability-linked bonds—are showing how transition finance can work when financial incentives align with decarbonization goals.

 

SIPET Connect: How do financial instruments like bonds contribute to transition finance?

Anouj Mehta: Bonds—particularly sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs)—are powerful tools to drive transition finance. Unlike traditional green bonds, which are tied to specific projects, Sustainability-Linked Bonds (SLBs) incentivize companies to meet sustainability targets by linking interest rates to performance. If a company fails to meet its targets, it pays a penalty through higher interest rates.

A case in point is Uruguay’s sustainability-linked bond model, which some of our ADB teams are adapting for under development projects and programs. This model ensures that borrowing costs remain competitive while encouraging long-term sustainability commitments. Similar structures could be applied across Southeast Asia to finance large-scale transitions in energy, industry, and transport.

 

SIPET Connect: What advice would you give to organizations looking to harness transition finance effectively?

Anouj Mehta: I feel, the change should start first with innovation in the technical approaches needed for your transition programs – whether energy mix or manufacturing process or logistics etc - and then look at what’s needed financially to make these approaches into bankable propositions. Identify the financing gaps and look at what governments and DFIs can offer to mitigate these gaps.

To make transition finance work, companies and governments need to do a few things.

1. Leverage blended finance models, using a mix of grants, concessional funding, and commercial capital to lower overall risk;

2. Demonstrate clear financial returns, so that investors can see a path to profitability, whether through carbon credits, efficiency gains, or regulatory incentives; and

3.  Finally, engage with policymakers early, since policy incentives, such as tax breaks or feed-in tariffs for renewable energy, can make or break a project’s financial viability.

 

SIPET Connect: Looking ahead, how do you see DFIs shaping transition finance in the next five years?

Anouj Mehta: Development Financing Institutions (DFIs) nationally and regionally, need to act quickly, innovate new financing products and instruments, and help build local capacities. If we’re serious about meeting net-zero targets, we cannot afford to move at the current pace. Some key areas for all development agencies to focus on include:

1. Accelerating approval processes for financing decisions;

2. Expanding risk-sharing mechanisms, such as Guarantee structures and first-loss capital must become standard for high-impact transition projects;

3. Scaling new financial instruments—we need more innovation in structured finance, such as sustainability-linked bonds, transition bonds, and hybrid debt models.

DFIs such as ours can help and I would urge more projects to look at the support available from catalytic funds and facilities such as the ACGF or the ADB’s recently launched Nature Solutions Finance Hub etc. The ACGF is leading the way – it has already impacted almost 50 green projects, catalyzed $ 7 bn of projects and innovating new concepts – whether over 15 thematic bonds already issued, green finance national facilities and more. This is the level of momentum we need to maintain.

Transition finance is not about replacing green finance; it is about complementing it—ensuring that industries and economies that are still carbon-intensive have viable pathways to sustainability. If structured correctly, transition finance can bridge the gap between climate ambition and real-world investment, making net-zero commitments more than just promises on paper.

* * * * *

Editor’s Note: Transition finance is emerging as a critical tool to bridge Southeast Asia’s green ambitions with financial realities, ensuring that industries can decarbonize without disrupting economic growth. This interview highlights the key challenges—risk perception, slow capital deployment, and policy gaps—while also showcasing practical solutions like blended finance, sustainability-linked bonds, and risk-sharing mechanisms. As the region accelerates its net-zero transition, the insights here reinforce that success will depend on speed, scale, and smarter financial structures that mobilize both public and private capital effectively.

 

03-2025     |     SIPET - Southeast Asia Information Platform for the Energy Transition
Energy Transition Climate Finance
Powering Regional Grid Interoperability: The Crucial Role of Transmission System Operators in the LTMS-PIP

This study explores ways to improve coordination and communication among transmission system operators involved in the Lao-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project. Drawing on global best practices, it recommends real-time power flow platforms and streamlined procedures to enhance reliability, reduce delays, and support regional electricity trading under the ASEAN energy cooperation plan.

03-2025     |     ACE - ASEAN Centre for Energy