News and Updates

Welcome to the September issue of SIPET Connect. In this edition, we explore the important role of outreach in accelerating Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition. While research, data, and policy frameworks lay the foundation, it is essential that these elements are brought to life through meaningful engagement with communities, and especially with youth. As the region strives to achieve its decarbonization goals, we highlight the need for on-the-ground activities and initiatives that make the energy transition not just an abstract concept, but a tangible everyday reality for Southeast Asians.

In this issue we:

- Describe how you can join the call to demand clean air action in Southeast Asia

- Feature a photo story from SIPET’s on-the-ground activities at the recent Indonesia Sustainable Energy Week (ISEW)

- Share key insights on global energy trends from CASE Insights at EPPO Capacity Building Program

- Share the final video in the ‘Humans of Energy Transition’ series that brings stories on energy transition in the lives of ordinary people in Bangkok

- Include a feature article on trends toward scaling up corporate decarbonization in Southeast Asia.

This issue of SIPET Connect provides updates on a diverse and growing set of Energy Transition activities and events across the region. These include:

- a perspective on Indonesia Sustainable Energy Week 2024 (ISEW 2024);

- a feature on the partnership between ASEAN and the USAID Southeast Asia Smart Power Program, which includes capacity-building for utilities, financial institutions, investors, developers, and government officials; and technical assistance to support regional energy trade and integration of clean energy sources;

- new research by the NewClimate Institute and Agora Energiewende, ‘Navigating the Transition to Net Zero in Southeast Asia’, which outlines a framework for integrating policy, technology, and finance for the clean energy transition across Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand;

- insights from the report from CASE Indonesia entitled, ‘Coal’s Endgame: Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) of Early Retirement Coal-Fired Power Plant (CFPP) Versus CFPP with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)’, which compares the costs and benefits of retiring Indonesia’s existing CFPPs early versus retrofitting them with CCS; and

- a story about the Energy Transition, a profile of a 57-year-old Thai resident who shares what his life was like before and after electrification.

World Population Day, celebrated on July 11th, sheds light on the challenges posed by the increasing global population. Transitioning to clean energy addresses these challenges by meeting energy demands, mitigating climate change, protecting health, and ensuring sustainable development.

In this July newsletter, we feature our latest blog posts, present data from SIPET's Power Sector Snapshots, share energy-related news and policy developments in Southeast Asia, feature an energy transition champion, share employment opportunities, and re-introduce SIPET's tools and resources.

In this June 2024 edition of the SIPET Highlights, we have gathered insights from recent reports and discussions related to the Energy Transition to offer a comprehensive overview of the current status and prospects of natural gas in Thailand and in the region. Read more.

The New Year is a time for looking back and for looking forward. The ASEAN-German Energy Programme (AGEP) Phase II also has a resolution we intend to keep: we promise to continue to collect stories related to ASEAN-German energy cooperation and to keep you, our dear readers, informed about energy transition movements in the region.

Our last updates in this issue include Focus Group Discussion (FGD) report on Biogas Study Development, the ASEAN Energy Outlook 7’s Country Visit & Workshop II and ASEAN Centre for Energy’s training on effective report writing. We also share the report on capacity-building training on data modelling and Focus Group Discussion on RE Financing. Furthermore, we are delighted to share updates on AGEP’s participation in the energy-climate nexus, gender, and energy policy workshop on 22 March 2022.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines, together with the LGU of Butuan participated in a virtual forum on Republic Act 11285, or Energy Efficiency and Conservation Law for Mindanao LGUs. The forum was hosted by the Department of Energy (DOE), the European Union-supported Access to Sustainable Energy Programme (EU-ASEP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the ASEP Clean Energy Living Laboratories (ASEP-CELLS). 

The forum is the latest milestone in WWF-Philippines’ Financing and Integrating Renewable Energy in Butuan City (FiNRE-BXU) project. The project is a bottom-up, top-down planning process that looks to address Butuan’s energy gaps. To do this, WWF-Philippines has been training local stakeholders, integrating indigenous resources, and engaging financing institutions and energy developers to pursue clean, sustainable energy projects.