As countries in Southeast Asia race to meet their clean power targets by the end of this decade, some governments have introduced fast-tracked permitting processes for renewable energy projects. The Philippines has been a regional frontrunner in implementing policies to expedite the permitting of renewable projects.

A sharp drop in Western development aid threatens to derail Southeast Asia’s clean energy transition, hit its poorest nations hardest and tilt the region’s strategic ties further toward Asian powers such as China, Japan and South Korea, experts say. The Lowy Institute’s recently published Southeast Asia Aid Map reports that official development finance (ODF) to the region reached US$29 billion in 2023 – up from US$26.5 billion in 2022 but still below the pre-pandemic average of US$33 billion.

Sarawak is considering a proposal to set up a council to oversee energy policies in the state, says Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg. The Premier said the state government was in the process of engaging with stakeholders, including the private sector, on the council's formation. "We are looking into the possibility of setting up a Sarawak Energy Council where we coordinate all the stakeholders so that their businesses and policies are in line with the state policy," he told reporters after launching the Sarawak Energy Transition Policy (SET-P) here on Monday (Aug 11).

Tenaga Nasional Bhd’s (TNB) push into Australia’s renewable energy (RE) sector is set to give the Malaysian utility a strategic foothold in one of the world’s most ambitious energy transition markets. The move positions the group to capture opportunities from Australia’s drive to raise RE generation to 82% of its national mix by 2030, from around 39%. In its report, TA Research, which recently participated in a technical visit to TNB’s Australian operations under Spark Renewables Pty Ltd, said it is positive on TNB’s expansion into the Australian energy market.

Malaysia's electric vehicle (EV) ecosystem took another step forward today with the introduction of a simplified contactless payment system at selected EV charging stations nationwide. Industry players have long cited payment complexity as a barrier to EV adoption. By reducing transactions to a single tap, the new system is expected to encourage wider use of public charging facilities and support the government's goal of accelerating EV adoption under the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR).

The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), through the ASEAN Climate Change and Energy Project Phase II (ACCEPT II), convened a regional policy dialogue in Kuala Lumpur to accelerate the shift towards a low-carbon energy system in Southeast Asia. Hosted by Malaysia’s Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA), the event brought together around 50 representatives from ASEAN Member States, international institutions and regional experts.

Thailand's state-owned utility, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), is working toward using some hydrogen fuel at its natural-gas-fired power plants to reduce its carbon emissions, starting as early as 2030.

While severe oversupply in Chinese industries ranging from the traditional steel sector to the hi-tech production of solar panels has made headlines recently, one lesser-known sector suffering the same fate is waste-to-energy incineration. The optimistically planned industry, giving China the world’s highest processing capacity, is struggling to find enough waste to burn, with experts blaming a slowdown in the growth of supply driven by factors including an economic downturn and slowing urbanisation.

Two invasive weed species could contribute to a creative solution to Australia’s energy transition – as ingredients for clean, renewable fuel. Researchers at the University of Queensland found Brazilian nightshade and climbing asparagus – both aggressive vine species – can be converted into biomass pellets. That June research, highlighted this week by UQ’s Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, assessed more than 20 weed species for their potential use as fuel.

The recently-announced reform of Peninsular Malaysia’s electricity tariff mechanism is critical in reflecting the true costs of fossil fuels paid by heavy energy users such as data centres, according to the country’s energy regulator.

China's renewable power potential in far-flung provinces is increasingly going unused, official statistics showed on Monday, as the country rushes to build more long-distance transmission and energy storage to bridge the gap. The curtailment rate for solar power rose to 6.6% in the first half of 2025 from 3.9% in the same period a year earlier while the rate for wind rose to 5.7% from 3%, according to the National New Energy Consumption Monitoring and Early Warning Center.

Travelling with an EV along the Gerik-Jeli route is going to get easier as there’s an upcoming EV charging station being deployed by TNB Electron. The new DC charging location has been spotted at a Petron station in Jeli, Kelantan and it will definitely help to address range anxiety concerns especially for those driving an EV with shorter range.