SIEW Thinktank Roundtables: Technology Pathways for Asia’s Energy Future

Asia's energy transition will not be driven by a single solution, but by a portfolio of technologies that together enable sustainability and resilience. Moderated by Shabana Begum, Correspondent (Environment and Science) at The Straits Times, the first panel session at SIEW Thinktank Roundtable A examined clean energy deployment challenges, regulatory frameworks, financing mechanisms, and opportunities to scale up these technologies across power, industry, and transport sectors.

Here are some of the insights shared during the panel:

• Lynda Hayden, Branch Head of Regional Partnerships Branch, International Climate and Energy Division, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, Australia, highlighted that Australia's newly released net zero plan addresses enabling factors including project approval alignment, skills development, and investment facilitation.
• Turning to regional developments, Kelvin Wong, Managing Director and Global Head of Energy, Renewables and Infrastructure, Institutional Banking Group, DBS Bank, noted that the ASEAN Power Grid requires stable regulatory frameworks across jurisdictions and long-term contracts to attract private finance. He pointed to blended finance as an obvious choice given the large investments required for bilateral connections and interconnections.
• Addressing hydrogen’s role in the energy transition, Beni Suryadi, Senior Manager of APAEC and Strategic Partnership at ASEAN Centre for Energy, noted that hydrogen demand will grow exponentially by 2050, making it a realistic component of energy planning rather than mere hype.
• Craig Stewart, SVP International E&P and CCUS at MedcoEnergi, outlined the challenges facing cross-border carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. He noted that while CCS technology is well-established, trans-border projects face significant hurdles.
• Biomethane holds strong potential in Southeast Asia. He Yiyong, Founder and Director of Straits Bio-LNG, explained that the region conceptualises biogas primarily as passive capture of methane from palm oil mill effluent ponds, whereas Europe, India, and China are starting to employ active production processes using industrial-scale facilities.

Stay tuned as the conversation evolves throughout the day. Follow @SIEW_sg on Telegram and X (formerly Twitter) for the latest insights.