KUCHING: ASEAN member nations need to establish a clear and mutually agreed-upon common framework to effectively realise the implementation of the ASEAN Power Grid in the future.

Sarawak Premier, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg, stated that although various power grid connectivity proposals have been put forward involving several ASEAN countries, a concrete and universally accepted implementation framework does not yet exist.

“I see that there is still no concrete framework or consensus regarding the connectivity issue between member nations.

“There are indeed proposals from Laos to Singapore, as well as our own proposals to supply power to Indonesia, the Philippines, and subsequently to Singapore.

“But until now, there is no clear mechanism on how that connectivity is to be executed, nor a framework that can be accepted by all member countries,” he said.

He said this to reporters after officiating the Asia Pacific Green Hydrogen Conference and Exhibition (APGH) 2026 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on Tuesday.

Datuk Patinggi Abang Zohari shared that Sarawak is currently adopting a bilateral cooperation approach with neighbouring countries to strengthen the regional energy network.

He noted that Sarawak currently supplies electricity to East Kalimantan, Indonesia through Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), and this will be expanded to Brunei and Singapore.

According to him, all these collaborations are presently carried out bilaterally, but they hold the potential to become part of the ASEAN Grid once an appropriate regional framework is established.

In relation to that, the Sarawak Premier suggested that ASEAN examine the model used by the European Union (EU) in managing cross-border energy systems as a reference point to develop a common framework for the ASEAN Power Grid.

He further explained that Sarawak is well-positioned and ready to support the regional energy agenda given its steadily increasing power generation capacity.

“On Sarawak's part, we are simply producing energy because our target by the year 2030 is to generate as much as 10 gigawatts (GW) of power.

“At present, Sarawak only requires about 6GW, but if development continues to grow as planned, we might need an additional 1GW or so. This means we will still have a surplus capacity of around 3GW,” he stated.

Also present were the Speaker of the Sarawak Legislative Assembly Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar, Sarawak and Federal Cabinet Ministers, Sarawak Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, Sarawak Deputy Cabinet Ministers, Heads of Departments, and other dignitaries. — UKASnews

Prepared By: Ahmad Daniel Faiz
Photos By: Muhammad Rais Sanusi
Translator: Ryan Lim