Regional cooperation took centre stage at the Singapore–IRENA High-Level Forum this week.

Held as part of the Singapore International Energy Week 2025, the Forum brought together energy leaders under the theme ‘Partnerships for an Interconnected and Renewable Tomorrow’. The event was opened by Singapore’s Minister for Energy Tan See Leng and IRENA’s Director-General Francesco La Camera.

“This year’s Forum holds particular significance for Southeast Asia,” said the IRENA Director-General during the opening, commending ASEAN’s energy ambition in shaping a new Plan of Action on Energy Cooperation for 2026–2030 and advancing the ASEAN Power Grid. “To keep pace with this ambition and expand our support to the region, IRENA is pleased to kick-start the Accelerated Partnership for Renewables in Southeast Asia, APRESA,” he added.

Building on ASEAN’s growing ambition, APRESA provides a platform to drive national and regional renewables-based energy transitions, strengthen interconnectivity, and promote green industrialisation across Southeast Asia. Its work will focus on four pillars of action: infrastructure, enabling policies, local value chains, and the mobilisation of private sector investment.

Southeast Asia is projected to account for 25% of global energy demand growth by 2035. Over half of the region’s total electricity could come from renewable sources, but substantial investment will be required to unlock green industrial growth and job creation. The region will need to invest an estimated USD 200 billion annually in renewables and energy efficiency by 2030.

However, the investment would pay off, as highlighted in IRENA’s new report on the Socio-economic Footprint of Energy Transition: Southeast Asia. By accelerating the transition, ASEAN’s annual GDP could increase by a yearly average of 2.6% between 2023 and 2050, compared to IRENA’s reference scenario, the currently planned policies translating into a cumulative gain of USD 4.8 trillion over the same period. Renewable energy jobs could reach 4.6 million out of 14.3 million total energy jobs in the region by 2050 under the 1.5°C Scenario.

APRESA will serve as a platform to mobilise catalytic finance for national and cross-border projects while supporting harmonisation of technical standards and developing finance and business models to enable grid integration across member countries.

With regional initiatives advancing in SIDS, Africa, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia, IRENA intends to accelerate renewable energy partnerships in other regions of the world in support of grid upgrades, regional economic development and access to finance. At the UN Climate Conference COP30 in Brazil, IRENA will publish a Regional Energy Transition Outlook for South America.

Find out more about the Agency’s regional initiatives and partnerships: https://www.irena.org/Energy-Transition/Partnerships#initiatives