SIEW Energy Insights

Puah Kok Keong, Chief Executive, Energy Market Authority

Recent years have highlighted the limitations of current energy forecasting methods. Rather than reflecting real-world trends, forecasts often seem to be driven by policy assumptions, leading to a disconnect between predicted outcomes and actual reality. This, in turn, can result in misguided decision-making by policymakers. This session aims to explore ways to ground forecasting in reality, enabling policymakers to develop more informed, inclusive, resilient, and effective policies that better address the complexities of the energy landscape.

This panel explores the relationship between food security and energy security, highlighting the critical role of energy in the food value chain. Experts will discuss how policies affecting energy markets can impact global food security, and what policy solutions can be implemented to address the energy trilemma poverty trap. The panel aims to provide a deeper understanding of the food-energy nexus and identify key policy challenges and opportunities in ensuring food security. It will examine case studies of countries that have successfully addressed food security and energy poverty, and explore strategies for promoting sustainable food systems.

Presented by:

Speaker:

Dr Owen Chen, Chief Technical Officer and Vice President, Concord New Energy Group

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligent (AI) and cloud computing is driving a significant increase in energy consumption across data centres worldwide. As AI models become increasingly large and complex, their power requirements escalate accordingly, raising critical concerns around sustainability and carbon emissions.

This growing demand is accelerating the global transition towards renewable energy. However, integrating renewables into energy systems at the scale and speed required remains a formidable challenge. To meet AI’s energy needs sustainably, the industry must address fundamental barriers to renewable energy deployment, including scalability, grid reliability, and the pace of technological advancement.

Achieving this will require significant innovation in energy storage, the development of intelligent and adaptive grid infrastructure, supportive policy frameworks, and strong public-private collaboration.

This discussion will examine how the industry can adopt a cohesive and forward-looking strategy—investing in storage solutions, diversifying clean energy portfolios, and maximising energy efficiency to power the AI revolution while supporting long-term global climate objectives.

As Southeast Asia advances toward a more sustainable and resilient energy future, regional power interconnectivity has emerged as a critical enabler of decarbonisation, energy security, and investment. Cross-border electricity trading and grid links provide a pathway to optimise renewable energy flows, strengthen system reliability, and connect generation sources with demand centres across the region.

This panel will examine the current progress and future potential of regional interconnectivity, with a spotlight on the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) and the Lao PDR–Thailand–Malaysia–Singapore (LTMS) Power Integration Project. Discussions will also explore how ASEAN can draw lessons on grid resilience, risk management, and system monitoring, ensuring that the region’s energy transition strengthens connectivity and resilience, while attracting the capital required for long-term success.

Panel:

• Veronika Milewski, CEO, RTE International (Invited)
• Lee Seng Wai, Chief Operating Officer, SGEI

Moderator:

• Anthony Molle, Global Head, Industries Department, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (Invited)