BY SHARIFAH NONG-JASIMA & ALEXANDRA LORNA
KUALA LUMPUR: The Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, urged ASEAN to put governance and market rules in place before chasing large-scale financing for the ASEAN Power Grid, arguing that regulatory readiness is the precondition for real cross-border power trade.
He spoke at the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) 2025 at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), alongside the 47th ASEAN Summit, on the panel ‘Energy Transition and the ASEAN Power Grid – Connecting Markets, Securing Futures’, chaired by Datuk Abdul Razib Dawood, Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Energy, in Kuala Lumpur, on Sunday.
“I think for the ten member countries of ASEAN, you have to have that framework first.
“Then the finance part will come into place,” Abang Johari said, emphasising that harmonised regulations, market mechanisms, and technical standards must precede capital mobilisation.
He pointed to the Nordic-EU power trading model as a practical reference, noting that transparent exchanges, spot pricing, and subsea interconnections were built on years of rule-setting and coordination.
“Before we run, let us have a feel first, and then establish your ecosystem,” he added.
Abang Johari framed electricity not merely as an engineering asset but as a tradable commodity requiring clear rules to attract investment and manage risk.
“Power is a commodity that must be traded. Once the economics are in place, execution becomes easier because there will be a common understanding among the ten ASEAN countries,” he said.
Furthermore, he outlined Sarawak’s approach as a regional working model, an energy ecosystem anchored on four hubs: renewables, hydrogen, gas, and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS).
In addition, he said that Sarawak already exports power to West Kalimantan (Indonesia) and Sabah, is arranging supply to Brunei, and is in discussions with Singapore.
“We are already sharing power with our neighbours.
“With proper infrastructure and agreements, Sarawak can become part of the Borneo Grid and eventually contribute to the ASEAN Grid,” he said.
The Premier’s governance-first stance aligns with the push for implementation under the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2025-2030, which seeks to connect markets, secure energy futures, and meet climate goals.
However, he said, by sequencing policy, markets, then money, ASEAN can move from ambition to achievement.
“When the framework is ready, finance will follow,” he said.
