Agency launches initiative to spur trade of green electricity in Asean

Plans include improving infrastructure and attracting private sector investments

- Shabana Begum

From setting up renewable energy projects on remote islands to promoting cross-border trade in green electricity, an intergovernmental organisation is on a mission to scale up clean energy in Asean.

The Middle East-based International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) on Oct 28 launched an initiative — the Accelerated Partnership for Renewable Energy in Southeast Asia (Apresa) - at the Singapore-Irena high-level forum.

The forum is part of the Singapore International Energy Week conference.

Minister of State for Trade and Industry Gan Siow Huang said at the conference: “Singapore supports this initiative as a concrete step by Irena to support our region’s energy needs.”

The launch of the Irena initiative comes on the back of several other partnerships and announcements made during the week-long conference, aimed at promoting cross-border electricity trade among Asean countries and accelerating the region’s efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of its power sector.

For example, Singapore’s Energy Market Authority on Oct 28 also inked an agreement with Australia’s energy regulator to share best practices on each country’s gas and electricity markets and deepen cooperation on low-carbon technologies.

Australia is among five countries from which Singapore is looking to import greener energy, as the resource-limited island state aims to wean off natural gas, a fossil fuel that is responsible for around 95 per cent of its electricity generation.

In 2024, Singapore gave conditional approval to import around 1.75 gigawatts of solar energy from Australia’s Northern Territory, with the power transmitted over a 4,300km subsea cable.

Highlighting the features of the new initiative, Mr Gurbuz Gonul, director of country engagement and partnerships at Irena, said during a presentation at the forum that it has four pillars.