Knowledge Hub

For decades, regional power trade in Southeast Asia remained more aspiration than action. Today, the ASEAN Power Grid is beginning to move from plans on paper to projects on the ground. In this Transition Toolbox conversation, Peter du Pont of SIPET Connect speaks with Keiju Mitsuhashi, Director for Southeast Asia & Pacific Energy Sector at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), about the momentum behind the ASEAN Power Grid and ADB’s work with the Philippines on renewables, grid modernization, and enabling infrastructure. Keiju shares his experience and reflections on how regional interconnections, domestic grid development, and national reforms are advancing together—linking ASEAN’s ambitions for increased power trade with the Philippines’ drive for more clean energy from geothermal, and offshore wind resources, as well as smarter, greener, and more resilient power grids. 

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SIPET Connect: To start, could you introduce your role and focus at ADB?

Keiju Mitsuhashi: I am the Director for Energy Sector for Southeast Asia and the Pacific at ADB. I took on this role about two years ago after my assignment in Viet Nam. Our work is about delivering prosperity, inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability across Asia and the Pacific through financing concrete energy projects, advancing complex reforms, and promoting innovative solutions.

SIPET Connect:  Regional power trade has long been on the agenda, but it has only recently begun to move from talk to action. The ASEAN Power Grid (APG) has been central to these discussions. What’s driving the new momentum toward making it a reality?

Keiju Mitsuhashi: The idea of an APG has always made sense but turning it into reality is complex. Grid-to-grid interconnection requires aligned regulations, grid codes, standards, and legal frameworks, and adding power trading creates another layer of difficulty. That is why progress has taken time, but it is now happening. The ASEAN Interconnection Masterplan Study (AIMS) III plan identified 18 interconnections in the region; nine are already connected, although many of these will need to be upgraded. We financed the West Kalimantan–Sarawak link in 2016 and saw a quick payback. The Lao–Thailand–Malaysia–Singapore pilot traded 100 megawatts across four countries and is now expanding to 200 megawatts. We also financed the Monsoon Wind Power in Laos—600 megawatts for export to Viet Nam—which is source-to-grid rather than grid-to-grid, but still part of the APG story.

What’s different now is the combination of technology, demand, and policy. Renewables are far cheaper than when earlier power plans were drawn up. Power demand in Southeast Asia could triple by 2050, driven by the growth of population, air-conditioning, data centers, and EVs, among others. And there is stronger political direction: leaders have agreed that the region’s grids should be connected by 2045. Singapore’s announcement that it will important six gigawatts of clean energy created a credible off-taker and shifted the market conversation. Some countries have access to abundant, low-cost renewables, and others do not; in many cases, imports are the least-cost way to bring in green electrons.

SIPET Connect: How do governments balance energy security with reliance on imports?

Keiju Mitsuhashi: Energy security comes first. In the 1990s and 2000s, industrial growth was primarily driven by coal-fired power plants in Southeast Asia, and many of those plants are still relatively young. That can’t continue if countries are serious about achieving net-zero emissions and about staying competitive for exports and attracting foreign investments in the region. Clean energy is a core part of an energy security strategy now. That’s why we’re moving from planning to implementation. You’ll see that reflected in ministerial meetings this year.

SIPET Connect: Where does ADB fit into the ASEAN Power Grid, as it moves forward?

Keiju Mitsuhashi: While we coordinate at the ASEAN level, we also engage with sub-regional work within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), the Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), and the Indonesia–Malaysia–Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT), because trades usually start bilaterally, gradually, and expand from there. We have a cooperation arrangement with Singapore’s Energy Market Authority on clean-energy imports. At the ASEAN level, we and the World Bank are launching the APG Financing Initiative with the ASEAN Centre for Energy and the ASEAN Secretariat. The goal is to mobilize funds, including from the private sector, alongside sovereign lending because a large share of the APG will need to be privately financed.

SIPET Connect: What has to change to bring more private investment into power generation and interconnections?

Keiju Mitsuhashi: For generation, you need bankable power purchase agreements (PPAs), whether through auctions or feed-in-tariff schemes before power markets develop. Transmission is tougher. It’s regulated and mostly state-owned in Southeast Asia, and third-party access is still limited. Merchant models common in Europe may not be practical here. Realistically, however, you’re looking at public–private partnerships (PPPs) and availability-based structures for subsea cable projects. Further, interconnections must ensure grid stability. Domestic grid strengthening is critical. Grid links can increase vulnerability if they’re not planned carefully, so sequencing matters.

SIPET Connect: How will the APG Financing Initiative actually work, and how do you plan to de-risk?

Keiju Mitsuhashi: We’re coordinating project preparation and financing and setting up a financiers’ forum that brings in development financiers, commercial banks, developers, and philanthropies. De-risking happens in three places. At the policy level, we use policy-based lending to support reforms. In preparation, we can fund the up-front work—such as undersea surveys, environmental and social assessments, and legal and regulatory reviews—often with public or blended finance that can be refinanced later. And during construction, tools that ADB and multilateral development banks have can help manage cross-border and political risks so investors and other lenders can come in with confidence.

SIPET Connect: Let’s turn to the Philippines, where ADB has been very active over the past few years. What does partnership look like today?

Keiju Mitsuhashi: We have revamped our partnership with the Philippines in the energy sector. In 2001 we supported the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, which shifted the sector to a privatized structure. Today the country targets 35 percent renewables by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040. Policy signals are important, but not sufficient; public-sector interventions are needed alongside private investment. We’re supporting climate policy reforms with the Department of Energy (DOE), and other departments. We’re preparing a derisking facility for geothermal exploration and drilling, with financing targeted for 2026, because exploration risk has stalled development for two decades. We’re expanding energy access with results-based approaches for communities that still lack reliable electricity. We’re helping public-building energy efficiency retrofits to build market capacity and demonstrate models. On offshore wind, we’ve supported  Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to issue the department regulation on environment compliance certificate. We’re also working on common-use offshore wind ports, so developers have the infrastructure they need. On transmission, we’re exploring how public action can accelerate smart and green grid upgrades so renewables can be integrated at scale.

SIPET Connect: Offshore wind in the Philippines is getting a lot of attention these days. How do you see it unfolding?

Keiju Mitsuhashi: The Philippines has some of the strongest offshore wind resources in Southeast Asia, with estimates ranging from 50 to more than 150 gigawatts of potential. DOE have already issued notice to auction to subscribe 3.3 gigawatt of offshore wind power by 2028–2030, marking an important step forward. For developers, certainty around ports and support infrastructure is critical. Those facilities are likely to be publicly financed as common goods, which reduces demand risk, lowers overall project costs, and helps make bids more competitive for both consumers and industry.

SIPET Connect: Stepping back, what are your big lessons for the region’s transition?

Keiju Mitsuhashi: First, the energy trilemma—security, access, and affordability—has to anchor decisions. Energy transition itself cannot be the only or ultimate goal. Second, there’s no transition without transmission; clean power generation only works if the grid can carry it. And while renewable generation costs are down, integration is not free. Once variable renewables rise above roughly a third of the mix, the grid systems need storage, smarter operations, and more capacity to avoid curtailment. Third, the transition may not always look cheap, but the alternative—sticking with fossil fuels—raises costs and undermines competitiveness. The question isn’t whether we pay; it’s whether we build systems that are cleaner, more secure, and ultimately better for economies in the long run.

In Southeast Asia, unlocking private capital for urban decarbonization requires practical finance and delivery mechanisms that work within existing institutions. In this Transition Toolbox conversation, Peter du Pont of SIPET Connect speaks with Marc S. Forni, Lead Urban Specialist at the World Bank, about the World Bank’s Regional Low Carbon Cities (LCC) Program. 

The LCC Program advances a replicable approach—using performance-based contracts, “stapled” lending through state-owned and commercial banks, and clear rules for crediting—to help cities and large asset owners implement high-return investments at scale. 

What makes this approach compelling isn’t just its technical design—it’s the way it threads finance, regulation, and real-world incentives into something cities can actually use. As regional actors look for scalable solutions to climate action at the urban level, this is a toolkit in the toolbox worthy of careful examination! 

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SIPET Connect: To begin, what is the World Bank’s Regional Low Carbon Cities Program, and why does it matter for the energy transition? 

Forni: The LCC Program is a practical playbook for getting proven technologies—like efficient lighting, rooftop solar, modern HVAC, and fleet electrification—into public and quasi-public facilities at scale. In settings where municipal borrowing is limited, we position cities and real estate operators as “brokers” of performance-based contracts with energy service companies (ESCOs), while partner banks provide the lending. That lets projects move without new public debt, and it creates a path that can be replicated across multiple cities and asset classes. 

SIPET Connect: You often say cities can broker rather than borrow. What changes when you take that view? 

Forni: It widens the solution set. Instead of asking whether a city can take on debt, we focus on structuring shared-savings contracts that are bankable on their own merits. The city sets performance requirements; an ESCO delivers and is paid from verified savings; and a state-owned or commercial bank provides a loan backed by the project cash flows. Instruments like receivables assignment or fiscal intercepts help de-risk repayment. Because many of these upgrades generate double-digit returns, the model is attractive to both public asset owners and lenders. 

SIPET Connect: You have worked in multiple countries. Why has Thailand become a focal point? 

Forni: Thailand offers an enabling environment: strong interest from asset owners, active financial institutions, and a clear framework for greenhouse-gas crediting through the Thailand Greenhouse Gas Management Organization. We also have a very collaborative set of counterparts—led by the Department of Climate Change and Environment—working alongside utilities and regulators to align technical, legal, and financial pieces. Earlier work in Vietnam helped shape the model; Thailand provided the conditions to pilot the approach at scale. 

SIPET Connect: What are the key building blocks of the model? 

Forni: There are three pillars. First, off-balance-sheet delivery using performance-based contracts and standardized procurement. Second, a pathway for carbon crediting, so that verified emission reductions can be monetized. This provides a meaningful uplift to project returns. Third, a supportive market infrastructure: sandbox pilots, clear licensing where needed, and fit-for-purpose accounting and disclosure, so financial institutions can participate with confidence. 

SIPET Connect: What have you learned from working with industrial zones and service providers? 

Forni: Scale is achieved by standardization. When audits, contracts, and MRV are consistent across dozens or hundreds of sites, large firms and their ESCO subsidiaries can participate at volume, and smaller providers find opportunities through subcontracts. Equally important, we’ve clarified procurement and contracting pathways, so that public agencies can use shared-savings arrangements where appropriate—always in line with regulations and in coordination with the utilities. The through-line is collaboration and clarity, not one-offs. 

SIPET Connect: What does the initial Thailand pipeline look like, and how do carbon revenues fit in? 

Forni: Subject to the usual approvals, the current proposal includes a lending line through a partner bank with a significant share earmarked for physical investments. Early tranches prioritize rooftop solar across public buildings, LED streetlighting, and industrial-estate solar expansions. Together, these could deliver substantial electricity savings and measurable emissions reductions. Where issuing of carbon credits is appropriate, verified reductions can be sold forward—creating a steady revenue stream that improves project economics while maintaining a conservative approach to quantification and reporting. 

SIPET Connect: You mentioned sandboxing. What kinds of pilots are you exploring? 

Forni: I can give you two examples. On the finance side, we’re working with banking partners on underwriting verified emission reductions and piloting forward purchase contracts. On the market infrastructure side, we’re collaborating with the exchange on structured forward auctions. Everything is done transparently, within the relevant regulatory frameworks, and with careful attention to accounting and disclosure. 

SIPET Connect: What’s the appetite you are seeing from the private sector? 

Forni: It’s strong when the offer is clear. Asset owners want a short list of bankable options, indicative capex, expected savings, and a straightforward path to funding and delivery. We’ve held information sessions and are coordinating with banking associations so that lenders can approach their clients with standardized packages. Adding a well-governed crediting component can lift returns further, while standardized documentation brings transaction costs down. 

SIPET Connect: How portable is the approach across Southeast Asia? 

Forni: The toolkit travels, but the first steps differ by market. In some places, distributed solar leads; in others, energy efficiency or waste-to-energy pilots make more sense. We also collaborate closely with financial authorities—central banks, securities regulators, and finance ministries—so that solutions integrate smoothly with domestic financial systems. The aim is to complement ongoing efforts and help local institutions scale what already works. 

SIPET Connect: What makes you confident this can scale beyond a single country? 

Forni: We’re not betting on unproven technology. We’re assembling well-tested practices—shared-savings contracts, standardized MRV, forward procurement, and transparent crediting—into a coherent package that institutions can use. When the pieces are aligned, projects move quickly and reliably. That’s what gives us confidence in the model’s scalability. 

Southeast Asia’s electricity demand is set to double by 2050, with solar and wind now among the most cost-competitive options. This IEA report assesses the region’s readiness to integrate higher shares of variable renewables, outlining key challenges, opportunities, and actions for policymakers and utilities through 2030 and beyond.

The Study on the Roadmap for Multilateral Power Trade in ASEAN analyses how cross-border electricity trading can strengthen regional energy security, affordability, and sustainability. It outlines institutional, regulatory, and technical pathways, providing guidance for ASEAN Member States to design policies and mechanisms that support a phased approach—starting with subregional markets and building toward an integrated ASEAN-wide power trade system.

This brief shows how ADB plans to help Asia and the Pacific’s ports cut emissions, reduce their carbon footprint, and become more resilient using loans, grants, and equity from its proposed $1 billion Sustainable and Resilient Maritime Fund (SRMF).

Private FIs’ capital choices shape decarbonisation, yet voluntary pledges and CCIs underdeliver. The report proposes an “impact levers” framework for FIs, CCIs, and regulators to align finance with real-economy goals, embed risk, and prioritize actionable, actor-specific steps beyond net-zero targets.

Malaysia supports the development of a harmonised regional framework for ASEAN and is actively engaging in international agreements to facilitate the cross-border transportation of CO2, reinforcing its commitment to regional collaboration in CCUS initiatives. This report explores the evolving policy and investment frameworks, Malaysia’s future potential as a CCUS hub through their groundbreaking projects, barriers to overcome, and the way forward to accelerate CCUS.

This first edition of the Technology Brief Series explores the role of renewable hydrogen in Southeast Asia’s power sector. It examines where hydrogen can add real value, the risks of inefficient use, and how policymakers can prioritise investments for a cost-effective and secure energy transition.