• ACCEPT Senior Researcher, Aldilla Noor Rakhiemah, was invited to speak on behalf of ACE at the National Meeting of Communities and Civil Society Organizations.  
• She introduced the role of ACE and ACCEPT to support a just energy transition in the ASEAN Member States as well as answered participants’ inquiries. 

Being invited as one of the National Meeting of Communities and Civil Society Organizations panelists, ACE Senior Researcher, Aldilla Noor Rakhiemah, has shared knowledge on ASEAN’s just energy transition and engaged in a comprehensive discussion among the moderator, panelists, and participants. The panel discussion was held in Borobudur Hotel, Jakarta on the 22nd of June 2023, with the topic of “Promoting a Just and Sustainable Energy Transition in ASEAN”.  

Welcomed to the stage as the first speaker, Aldilla Rakhiemah began the session by introducing ACE’s brief history and role as a catalyst, knowledge-hub, and think tank that represents the 10 ASEAN Member States in the energy sector. She highlighted how each of ASEAN’s regional policies on energy is guided by the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2016-2025. Out of three APAEC 2025 targets, one has already been achieved, which is the goal to attain a 35% renewable share in installed power capacity with the current number of 37.9%. The other two targets, attaining 23% in renewable share in total primary energy supply and 32% in energy intensity reduction based on 2005 level, are still under progress with respectively 17.5% and 29.2% achieved in 2022. 

The current ASEAN economic and energy status is observable through a close look at the 7th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO7). ASEAN member states account for 8.7% of the total world population with a 1-1.3% annual population growth rate. The rise in population impacts regional energy demand, with a baseline scenario projecting a 4-times increase in energy required to fuel economic growth from 2020 to 2050. In this scenario, without significant changes in the current production infrastructures and with continuous utilization of fossil fuels, ASEAN is predicted to become a net importer of natural gas and coal starting from 2025 and 2039, respectively. This is a concern for ASEAN member states, as energy dependency poses a great risk to energy security. Therefore, this data raises the urgency of energy transition in ASEAN.  

However, it is important to note that energy transition should come in hand with justice, inclusivity, and sustainability, or in other words, a just energy transition. A just energy transition protects workers, communities, and women from the negative impacts of the energy transition, including job losses as countries transition away from coal, oil, and gas. ASEAN member states have come together to call for an inclusive and just energy transition through the Joint Declaration on Energy Security and Energy Transition in the 39th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting. The ASEAN Centre for Energy itself supports just energy transition, including through the ASEAN Climate Change and Energy Project (ACCEPT). Among many outputs, ACCEPT aims to promote gender equality in the energy sector. 

The moderator and participants conveyed great interest in the issue and raised some thought-provoking questions. First, the moderator probed deeper into the ways to support a just and sustainable energy transition. Aldilla Rakhiemah explained that it was crucial to develop robust and thorough planning, noting that some renewable projects in ASEAN were promising at the start but were not executed ideally due to some issues in the infrastructure planning. A coherent climate-energy regulation both at the national and regional levels is also necessary to ensure a just energy transition. In addition, she believed that it would be productive to have a formal dialog forum for civil society organizations and to include civil society in regional decision-making. 

Other issues were raised by the participants, including the issue of transfer of technology (ToT), elaborations on the baseline scenario, and gender equality in ASEAN. In the case of ToT, some ASEAN member states such as Malaysia and Singapore have established offices to facilitate ToT and some ASEAN sectoral bodies have collaborations with non-ASEAN states on ToT, followed by the recommendation that this could be further encouraged in other ASEAN member states. In terms of the baseline scenario, AEO7 stated four baseline scenarios: the baseline assessment scenario, the targets of each ASEAN member state, the regional targets, and the cost-optimized scenario. Further emphasis was given on how ACCEPT has supported gender equality in ASEAN by involving more women in each of its projects, including as conference speakers. 

Detailed information on ACCEPT II can be found at https://accept.aseanenergy.org/.  

ACCEPT II welcomes any collaboration, please feel free to contact us at [email protected]