ST To Support ASEAN School Of Regulation To Boost Regional Power Grid, Investment
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 7 (Bernama) -- The Energy Commission (ST) will support the hosting of the ASEAN School of Regulation (ASR) in Malaysia, a regional initiative aimed at strengthening regulatory capability and accelerating the development of the ASEAN Power Grid (APG).
The ASR, launched today at the 44th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) in Manila, Philippines, will be hosted by UNITEN R&D in Malaysia, providing a platform to build a durable regional learning ecosystem linking regulators, policymakers, academia, development partners and industry expertise.
According to a joint statement by ST and several partners, including the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) and the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), Malaysia, through ST, committed to support the hosting of the ASR in Malaysia during the Special Senior Officials’ Meeting on Energy in January 2026.
It said the establishment of the ASR followed its formal endorsement by the ASEAN Energy Regulators Network (AERN) in 2025 and recognition at the 43rd AMEM held in Kuala Lumpur.
“Building on pilot training cycles delivered throughout 2025 and 2026, the next phase will establish the ASR’s permanent secretariat and operational platform at UNITEN R&D.
“This transition from pilot programmes to a standing ASEAN institution creates a scalable platform for multi-year programmes, specialist faculty and practitioner exchanges, applied regulatory research and partnerships that respond directly to the evolving needs of ASEAN regulators,” it said.
It added that ST chief executive officer Siti Safinah Salleh was among regional energy leaders and regulatory experts who participated in a high-level panel on strengthening regulatory capability to advance the energy transition and the APG.
The panel, which also featured representatives from the Philippines’ ERC, Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), highlighted the importance of institutionalised capacity retention, practical cross-border regulatory alignment and inclusive energy governance.
The ASR is designed to move beyond one-off training programmes by establishing a sustained regional platform for developing regulatory leaders, retaining institutional knowledge and translating shared learning into regulatory action.
Its initial focus will be on power-system integration and multilateral electricity trade, with structured and practice-oriented programmes covering power systems, market design, economic regulation and multilateral power trading.
The ASR will also focus on four high-impact outcomes, namely building and retaining regulatory capability; advancing regulatory convergence and interoperability; creating a regional community of regulatory leaders; and accelerating solutions to emerging regulatory challenges.
“By strengthening regulatory clarity, consistency and implementation capability across ASEAN Member States, the School will also help create more predictable enabling conditions for long-term investment in grids, clean energy, storage, digitalisation and cross-border energy infrastructure,” it said.
The initiative is jointly driven by AERN, ACE and the ASEAN Secretariat, in partnership with the Southeast Asia Energy Transition Partnership of UNOPS and ESCAP, with support from AFD and the EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package (SCOPE) Energy.
-- BERNAMA