KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia aims to leverage the European Union’s experience in establishing connected energy grids to accelerate the ASEAN Power Grid initiative.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof stated that the EU’s comprehensive cross-border electricity exchange model could help ASEAN members address regulatory, financial and technical challenges.
“The EU already has cross-border energy exchange, and it is important for us to see what they have done, the problems they faced, and how they addressed them,“ he told reporters after participating in a panel discussion at the ASEAN-EU Business Summit 2025.
Fadillah revealed that Malaysia plans to establish a dedicated workshop with EU counterparts to explore practical solutions ranging from harmonised regulations to financing frameworks.
“These are the things that we can learn from the financial model, the technical aspects, how they harmonise rules and regulations, and how they address challenges when exchanging electricity across borders,“ he explained.
He believes ASEAN’s engagement with the EU could fast-track regional power grid integration, noting the existing Laos-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore power integration project as a foundation.
“It is just about expanding it and seeing the differences in terms of standards, practices and rules among the other member states,“ Fadillah added.
The Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister confirmed a memorandum of understanding to enhance APG cooperation will be signed at the upcoming ASEAN Energy Ministers’ Meeting.
“One of the areas that we want to focus on is interoperability, how to harmonise the rules, regulations and trading model in the countries,“ he said.
Fadillah emphasised that aligning ASEAN’s energy framework with global best practices is crucial for attracting investments and meeting renewable energy demand.
“ASEAN needs to take a collective approach to ensure its energy systems are not only reliable but also sustainable,“ he stated.
He noted that EU-ASEAN cooperation would enable Malaysia and neighbours to adopt proven solutions while avoiding potential pitfalls.
The deputy prime minister participated alongside industry leaders from HSBC Amanah Malaysia, Evonik Thailand, European Investment Bank and Siemens Energy Malaysia. – Bernama