From vision to reality: Event-driven integration for the ASEAN Power Grid

Turning the APG into reality requires more than infrastructure; it demands a smarter, more connected digital backbone.

Southeast Asia (SEA) is rapidly emerging as a global energy heavyweight, fuelled by its strong economic growth, fast-expanding population, and rising industrial activity. Home to nearly 700 million people, SEA is now the third most populous region in the world, and its energy demands are growing at a similar pace.

Energy consumption across the region is projected to surge at an annual rate of 4%, and SEA alone is expected to contribute to 25% of global energy demand growth by 2035. Without a significant shift, fossil fuels will continue to be the dominant source of energy, driving up greenhouse gas emissions and higher import costs.

This is why regional collaboration through renewable electricity transmission, via the ASEAN Power Grid (APG), has become a key priority for energy resilience and sustainability. But whilst the vision is bold, execution remains a challenge.

What is the buzz about the ASEAN Power Grid?
The APG is a long-standing but increasingly urgent initiative by the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to establish an integrated, cross-border electricity network across the region.

Its goal is simple yet ambitious: to deliver clean, reliable, and affordable energy whilst addressing the region’s energy trilemma – strengthening security, ensuring equity, and advancing sustainability. By enabling countries to share renewable resources and balance out supply fluctuations, a fully realised APG would support national decarbonisation goals and enhance regional resilience.

However, since its proposal in 1997, progress has been slow, hindered by fragmented policies, infrastructure limitations, and financial challenges. But momentum is now building.

Under Malaysia’s 2025 ASEAN chairmanship, renewed political commitment has led to a refreshed roadmap for greater regional cooperation. In May, government-linked firms from Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam agreed to explore new cross-border energy links.

Meanwhile, Singapore and Indonesia signed the first deal for a new subsea electricity cable, which will support Singapore’s target of importing up to six gigawatts of low-carbon electricity by 2035.

ASEAN member states are also set to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) during the bloc’s Energy Ministers Meeting in October to formalise APG implementation. The MoU will outline a clear roadmap for APG, including the harmonisation of standards and regulations, and business models to support cross-border energy trading.

Still, the path to a fully integrated grid is far from straightforward.

What’s holding the APG back?
Turning the APG into reality requires more than infrastructure; it demands a smarter, more connected digital backbone. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), ASEAN countries must invest approximately $21b annually from 2026 to 2030 to update their power grids and support clean energy trading at scale.

However, the challenge isn’t just financial. Much of the region still operates on legacy grid infrastructure that is siloed, inflexible, and lacks real-time responsiveness. These outdated systems struggle to balance dynamic energy flows, integrate variable renewable energy sources, and coordinate across borders.

Even with the rise of agentic artificial intelligence (AI) in smart grid systems that are capable of simulating scenarios, forecasting demand, or triggering maintenance protocols, many of these tools remain constrained by outdated integration methods.

The intelligence is there, but the systems remain disconnected. Without a real-time, system-wide connection, even the smartest agents can’t act fast enough to prevent disruptions or maximise energy efficiency.

Powering a smarter grid with real-time connectivity
Operating an electrical grid is a delicate balancing act. Since electricity cannot be easily stored at scale, grid operators must continuously match supply from generators with real-time demand.

Any mismatch, whether a shortfall or sudden surge, can disrupt the frequency, threaten grid stability, and, in extreme cases, trigger blackouts or equipment damage.

This is where event-driven integration, underpinned by an event-driven architecture (EDA) platform, makes a difference. Unlike traditional systems that move data on fixed schedules, it transforms how systems interact through publishing and subscribing to real-time events via a decentralised network, known as an event mesh. Data flows instantly to where it’s needed, enabling fast, automated responses.

Integration becomes more like an automatic digital nervous system rather than a static pipeline – responsive, distributed, and resilient.

Picture this: Solar farms on a sunny afternoon in northern Thailand generate a midday surplus just as a sudden storm cuts wind output in the southern Philippines. Rather than risking instability, smart devices on the grid detect the drop and publish real-time alerts.

Instantly, subscribed systems in Vietnam and Malaysia respond by discharging battery storage, ramping up hydro output in Laos, and triggering demand-response actions to reduce non-essential usage. All of this happens in seconds, without manual intervention.

This kind of seamless, real-time coordination across borders and technologies is only possible with EDA. EDA enables the APG to function not as isolated systems, but as a unified, intelligent energy network, ready for the demands of a more connected, sustainable future. 

Powering the future of APG
To realise the promise of the APG, the region must move beyond incremental smart grid upgrades and invest in building a next-generation grid that is secure, efficient, and aligned with the demands of the future.

This means a distributed, intelligent and adaptable grid that provides the connective layer where AI, automation, and human expertise converge to power a more resilient and sustainable energy future.

In a region where energy demand is rising and complexity is growing, success will come to those who move with their data, not behind it.