The countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been very active in promoting energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) technologies in order to fulfil their global commitment on climate change. In the ASEAN Plan for Action for Energy Cooperation 2016-2025 (APAEC), EE and RE are key program areas to be addressed.
In this vein, examples of actions include feed-in tariffs (notably in Thailand and Malaysia) and the liberalization of the electricity market. In relation to EE, ASEAN member countries are progressively adopting Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) with EE standard and labelling programs. ASEAN member countries coordinate their energy policies through the ASEAN Energy Efficiency & Conservation Sub-Sector Network (EE&C-SSN) and the Renewable Energy Sub-Sector Network (RE-SSN). Both are composed of government agencies acting as program coordinators, and report to the Senior Officials Meeting on Energy (SOME) and the ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM).
Under the broader umbrella of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Standards Harmonization Initiative for Energy Efficiency (ASEAN SHINE) program, a scoping study was initiated. This study aimed to foster understanding among ASEAN policymakers (ministries in charge of energy, trade, commerce, industry, etc.) of the benefits of increasing intra-ASEAN value chain cooperation and trade in the field of EE and RE technologies, and to build related regional capacities. This study closely reviews the existing intra-ASEAN trade in selected EE and RE technologies, and identifies the potential to further enhance intra-ASEAN supply chain integration for these technologies. Key findings of this scoping study are delineated below.