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Asean power grid plan gains momentum amid AI-led electricity demand
Only eight of 18 planned interconnection projects were operational by 2024, but Indonesia’s cross-border exports are expected to reach at least 3.4 gigawatts of low-carbon power.
Investors and Indonesian policymakers gathered in Bali to discuss why a long-delayed ASEAN cross-border power grid plan is picking up momentum, with demand from AI and data centres and the region’s energy transition cited as key tailwinds, according to the South China Morning Post.
At the Nusa Dua Forum, organized by the SCMP with Danantara Indonesia as partner, the outlet noted that ASEAN has worked toward a unified electricity grid since 1997. By 2024, progress remained limited, with only eight of 18 planned interconnection projects operational and about 7.5 gigawatts of capacity generated.
The forum framing also pointed to the scale of the opportunity, saying Indonesia would aim to export at least 3.4GW of low-carbon, renewable electricity to a neighbor. That volume is described as roughly one-third of Singapore’s energy demand by 2035, linking grid buildout to rising electricity needs.