Singapore and Thailand push to unblock Southeast Asia's cross-border power grid

Singapore and Thailand will use their back-to-back chairmanships of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to advance the long-stalled Asean Power Grid, an initiative to connect national electricity systems so countries rich in renewable energy can supply regional demand centers. Singapore's Second Minister for Trade and Industry, Jeffrey Siow, said the biggest obstacle isn't technology but regulation: harmonizing commercial rules for electricity trading and establishing common standards for undersea cables across a region of vastly different national systems.

The plan targets full integration by 2045, serving more than 680 million people, but cross-border investment has totaled only about $2 billion over five decades, compared with $3.6 billion spent on domestic transmission in 2024 alone. The International Energy Agency estimates $27 billion will be needed for cross-border interconnectors by 2040.

Singapore plans to advance a submarine cable development framework during its 2027 chairmanship, while a financing initiative launched last October has already drawn commitments of $2.5 billion from the World Bank and up to $10 billion from the Asian Development Bank to help make projects bankable.

Based on reporting by Taejun Kang for Eco-Business. Read the original: https://www.eco-business.com/news/asean-power-grid-singapore-thailand-launch-two-year-push-to-clear-hurdles-by-2028/