ASEAN to sign MoU on regional power grid implementation
2025 will be a pivotal turning point for ASEAN’s energy cooperation, marking the culmination of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) Phase II (2021–2025), and the beginning of APAEC 2026–2030
Kuala Lumpur (VNA)🍌 - ASEAN member states are set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the implementation of the ASEAN Power Grid during the bloc’s Energy Ministers’ Meeting this October.
Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the MoU will outline a roadmap for the ASEAN Power Grid (APG), including the harmonisation of standards and regulations, as well as a business model for cross-border energy exchange among member states.
Fadillah, who is also Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation, said ASEAN had long discussed the APG. During his tenure as co-chair of the Energy Ministers’ Meeting in Vientiane last year, member states agreed to revisit the initiative and ensure that the APG becomes a central focus moving forward.
He expressed his hope that the current MoU will evolve into a formal agreement, marking a significant step towards implementing the APG.
Fadillah said 2025 will be a pivotal turning point for ASEAN’s energy cooperation, marking the culmination of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) Phase II (2021–2025), and the beginning of APAEC 2026–2030./.
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