SP Group: Laying the groundwork for a just and practical energy future in Asia Pacific

For SP Group GCEO Stanley Huang, recognising every country’s different starting points is vital in addressing energy transition.

In a region as economically and geographically diverse as the Asia Pacific, it is crucial to manage the energy transition in an inclusive, practical, and sustainable manner. This approach is what defines the leadership of Stanley Huang, Group CEO of SP Group (SP) and the current President of the Association of the Electricity Supply Industry of East Asia and the Western Pacific (AESIEAP).

As the role of AESIEAP President rotates every two years across members, Huang has been optimising networks and collaboration during his term, serving as an integrator towards a regional coalition focused on shared success. It is what he describes as a “just and practical” transformation.

This builds on his role at SP, Singapore’s national grid operator and a leading sustainable energy solutions provider in Asia Pacific, where he spearheads efforts that enable the city’s transition towards a low-carbon, smart energy future.

“My focus, in both my capacities at SP Group and AESIEAP, is on advancing a shared vision for the Asia Pacific. Encouraging active dialogues and catalysing cross-border collaborations to enable countries at different stages of development to move forward together on decarbonisation is the goal,” said Huang. 

No one-size-fits-all

Global electricity demand is growing by nearly 4% annually, with fossil fuels meeting nearly 80% of that demand. Whilst those in the Asia Pacific have already started rolling out decarbonisation strategies, progress remains uneven. The unequal access to clean energy, high upfront costs, and fragmented regulatory framework raise the question of what makes an inclusive transition.

For Huang, it means working together as a region to support countries technologically and financially in their plans to ramp up their green transformation journeys.

SP exemplifies this spirit of empowerment by scaling various sustainable energy solutions throughout the region. This includes zero-CAPEX solar photovoltaic and district cooling projects that help clients in Thailand and Vietnam reduce carbon emissions. SP is also supporting Singapore’s recent Green Electricity Import deal with Indonesia involving a new subsea cable as part of the ASEAN Power Grid, developing key enabling systems for the project.

But perhaps most critical is building the connective tissue that allows electricity, knowledge, and resources to flow seamlessly across borders, given that the future grid will become more decentralised and distributed with different renewable energy sources.
To bridge the gap between growing energy needs and decarbonisation goals, a new kind of cooperation is required, leveraging the ASEAN Power Grid in particular.

Grid interconnectivity is key

ASEAN is at the heart of the global energy transition. Huang is keen to encourage and support regional grid interconnectivity, where power infrastructure across Southeast Asia is linked to facilitate clean energy import where it’s needed most.

Collaboration, such as joint research and building an inclusive energy governance framework, provides a stable foundation to better plan a shared energy system, build smarter and more reliable power grids, and connect electricity across borders. This enables countries with excess renewable energy or financial resources to support others – a step to ensure equal progress.

Singapore, with its advanced grid capabilities, serves as a model for regional scalability. Here, SP’s innovations, such as digital twins, multi-energy microgrids, and the development of a national virtual power plant, demonstrate how smart technologies can build more efficient and responsive grids.

From dialogue to delivery

Huang sees AESIEAP as a unifying platform that can bridge capability gaps across the region. 

“Everyone has a seat at the table,” he said. “During our discussions, we spotlight and hear from local and regional energy companies on their experiences and the challenges of power imports. This allows us to learn and benefit immensely from the exchanges and engagements, which can be translated into actions that uplift the entire region.”

AESIEAP's CEO Conference in 2024, hosted by SP, served as a precursor to the next big leap – the 2025 edition of the Conference of the Electric Power Supply Industry (CEPSI), which will be held this October.

Both events provide platforms for key industry leaders across both public and private sectors to share their expertise, conduct meaningful discussions and forge partnerships to meet energy-related challenges at scale across the region.

CEPSI 2025 will mark the 25th edition of AESIEAP’s flagship event, and Huang believes it can be a turning point where dialogue becomes commitment. “We aim to demonstrate how regional collaboration can unlock collective resilience, decarbonisation, and energy equity, becoming a launchpad for action,” he added.

The road ahead

In Huang’s vision, Asia Pacific’s energy transition is not an individual race, but a regional team effort to enhance innovation and investment to keep each other moving forward.
As Huang noted, CEPSI helps advance regional priorities around energy security, grid integration, energy transition, and carbon management, amongst others. “It is hard work and requires an unwavering view of long-term impact, through CEPSI and beyond.”