Kuala Lumpur, 1 November 2025: ERIA participated in the 2nd Tripartite Forum on Renewable Energy, themed ‘Bridging the Gap: Ensuring Affordability, Reliability, and Sustainability in Renewable Energy.’ The event was co-organised by the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) Secretariat, ERIA, and the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), and took place at the Parliament of Malaysia.

The forum brought together representatives from AIPA, ASEAN sectoral bodies, and ERIA to deepen collaboration on advancing affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy transitions across the region.

In his welcome remarks, ERIA President Tetsuya Watanabe emphasised the importance of collaborative platforms such as the Forum, where parliaments, governments, industries, and research institutions can align efforts to ensure a just, inclusive, and sustainable energy future. He noted that initiatives under the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC)and the Asia Zero Emission Center – including the Sustainable Energy for Island and Distributed Off-Grid Systems (SEIDO) project – illustrate practical steps towards bridging the gap between ambition and implementation across ASEAN.

Representing ERIA in the panel discussion ‘Energy Security in an Uncertain World, ’ Dr Han Phoumin, Senior Energy Economist, highlighted ASEAN’s energy challenges – rising demand, fossil fuel dependency, and investment gaps – and proposed a six-pillar framework to strengthen regional energy security.

Delivering a keynote address on behalf of Dr Nuki Agya Utama, ERIA’s Director for Energy Policy and Head of the AZEC, Dr Phoumin presented ‘Powering ASEAN’s Future: A Pragmatic Path to Security, Affordability, and Decarbonisation.’ He outlined ERIA’s strategic vision under the AZEC framework, emphasising pragmatic, balanced, and inclusive pathways for the region’s clean energy transition.

As moderator of the session ‘Recharged and Reinvented – The Technologies Shaping Our Energy Future, ’ Dr Phoumin facilitated an engaging discussion amongst regional experts from ACE, Yinson Holdings, Monash University Malaysia, and the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities (ICSC). The dialogue underscored innovation, regulatory reform, and inclusivity as critical drivers of ASEAN’s energy transformation.

Through this multi-faceted engagement, ERIA reaffirmed its position as a leading policy and technical think tank in advancing regional initiatives such as the ASEAN Power Grid, AZEC, and transition finance mechanisms. The Forum also opened new avenues for collaboration with AIPA, ACE, and private sector partners, reinforcing ERIA’s role in shaping ASEAN’s pragmatic and inclusive clean energy future.