Beyond Electricity: The Socioeconomic Side of the ASEAN Power Grid

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ASEAN is riding a wave of economic momentum. The region is expecting an average growth rate of 4% between 2023 and 2050, making it one of the fastest-growing economic regions of the world. Yet this trajectory depends on reliable, affordable, and resilient access to energy. For people across the region, especially in rural and hard-to-reach areas, access to electricity is not only a matter of necessity, but also an entryway to opportunities such as enabling entrepreneurship, education, and gender empowerment.  

As a development tool, the ASEAN Power Grid (APG) can help actualize this future by delivering reliable, affordable, and secure energy access through interconnection—transforming productivity and social welfare. Achieving a prosperous energy future for ASEAN requires coordinated governance. 

Cross-border grid connectivity under the APG initiative must be embedded within ASEAN’s broader economic architecture. To do this, ASEAN must go beyond conventional measures of success. Enhancement of regional grid connectivity is necessary in order to ensure the achievement of energy indicators, such as electrification rates, renewable energy shares, and energy intensity, listed under ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC). 

Source: Wikipedia