ASEAN energy demand could more than quadruple by 2060, exposing grid and efficiency gaps
Important news | Industry, transport and data centres drive demand while regional transition requires long investment.
Editorial desk
The ninth ASEAN Energy Outlook was endorsed by ministers at the 44th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting in Manila on 8 October 2026. It is scenario analysis to 2060, not a guaranteed forecast for every country or an approved construction budget.
The outlook supports the 2026–2030 cooperation plan, including 2030 targets of 30% renewable energy in primary supply, 45% in generation capacity and a 40% cut in energy intensity from 2005. Businesses must separate regional targets from each country’s law, tenders and grid conditions.
Under the business-as-usual scenario, final energy consumption from 2025 to 2060 could rise to more than four times its starting level. This is a long-run pressure signal, not equal demand for every technology. Suppliers should select a country and use case, then check prices, reliability, permits, finance and buyers.
In 2025, demand was 485 million tonnes of oil equivalent, with industry above 40% and transport around 36%, the two largest shares. Smaller firms might examine motors and process heat, factory monitoring, cold chains and fleet energy management. Those are editorial directions from the structure, not confirmed orders.
The outlook says data centres could account for about one-fifth of electricity demand growth from 2025 to 2030. Opportunities extend to power quality, cooling, backup, water and efficiency software, but projects face grid capacity, land, cyber and customer qualification constraints.
The regional transition scenario estimates cumulative investment of about US$14.183 trillion to 2060, or roughly US$405 billion annually. It is a model estimate, not allocated funding. A practical next step is one country, one industry and one measurable efficiency result checked against official energy plans and tenders before channel investment.
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Some images in this article are generated illustrations.