Photo 1. Participants from the NRC and ACE.

On 25 August 2025, the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) welcomed a study visit from the National Resilience College (NRC) of Malaysia at Hotel J.S. Luwansa, Jakarta. This visit was attended by approximately 40 delegates from the NRC, aiming to introduce ACE’s role in ASEAN’s energy sector and exchange knowledge on ASEAN’s progress towards energy transition.  

Photo 2. Maj. Gen. Abdul Karim bin Ahmad, Commandant of NRC, delivering opening remarks.

Photo 3. Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, Executive Director of ACE, delivering opening remarks. 

The session continued with a presentation by ACE’s Executive Director, Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood, who expressed his gratitude for NRC’s visit. He introduced ACE’s history and vision for the clean energy transition in the region—stressing that resilience, security, affordability, and sustainability remain the guiding principles of ASEAN’s energy transition. Supporting this view, he highlighted ASEAN’s potential in nuclear energy and other renewable energy markets to boost the region’s economic growth while promoting equal opportunities for its people.  

Photo 3. Dr. Zulfikar Yurnaidi, Manager of MPP. 

Dr. Zulfikar Yurnaidi, Manager of Energy Modelling and Policy Planning (MPP), ACE, followed with a presentation introducing several insights from the 8th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO8), which highlights ASEAN’s growing energy demand in the coming years. He presented ACE’s flagship initiative, the ASEAN Power Grid (APG), projected to contribute up to USD 3 trillion to ASEAN’s economy by 2050 and create more than 1 million long-term green jobs. The APG is also expected to strengthen the region’s economies through interconnected energy trade—promoting resilience as its core principle.  

The presentation was followed by an interactive Q&A session led by Dato’ Razib Dawood and Dr. Zulfikar Yurnaidi. They highlighted several benefits of the APG, including the promotion of clean energy, price stability, and economic growth across ASEAN member states. Additionally, the APG is expected to support renewable energy exports, leveraging ASEAN’s unique geography, which presents both challenges and opportunities in addressing energy intermittency. Moreover, interconnectivity will foster more inclusive growth in the region by improving access to energy. Under the ASEAN Plan of Action in Energy Cooperation (APAEC), ACE aims to advance a just and inclusive energy transition by integrating rural access, the gender-energy nexus, and access for other vulnerable communities. The APAEC also promotes green economy opportunities, driving transitions in the industrial, transport, and domestic sectors. In this context, ACE underscored the crucial role of energy policy in realising ASEAN’s 2050 Net-Zero Vision.  

Photo 4. Maj. Gen. Abdul Karim bin Ahmad (left) and Dato’ Ir. Ts. Razib Dawood (right) exchanging tokens of appreciation. 

The dialogue concluded with closing remarks that emphasised the importance of environmental security as ASEAN advances energy integration. NRC expressed appreciation for ACE’s policy leadership, while ACE reaffirmed ASEAN’s commitment to collaboration. Tokens of Appreciation were exchanged to commemorate the visit. 

(Photos courtesy of NRC Malaysia.)