By SherWu Ng, Product Manager, EDMI
The conversation has shifted
Last week, I joined a closed-door workshop in The Hague with ASEAN investment agencies and companies involved in smart grid technologies as part of the ASEAN Regional Investment Promotion Action Plan (RIPAP) 2025–2030.
First, my thanks to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) for the invitation and for facilitating such an open and practical discussion around smart grid investment across the region.
What stood out most was how much the conversation has evolved. Smart grids are no longer being discussed as future-facing innovation projects. Across ASEAN, they are increasingly viewed as foundational infrastructure for energy security, resilience, and long-term economic growth.
Investment follows operational reality
The workshop focused on a practical question: what do smart grid companies actually need before entering or expanding into new markets?
The discussions covered everything from regulatory frameworks and infrastructure readiness to talent availability, investment certainty, and operational resilience. Across every conversation, one theme remained consistent. Utilities are under growing pressure to modernise while balancing affordability, reliability, and sustainability.
Many ASEAN markets continue facing similar operational challenges, reducing technical and non-technical losses, managing recurring outages, integrating renewables, and responding to rising electricity demand.
These are not isolated issues. Globally, utilities are navigating similar pressures as energy systems become more decentralised and climate events place greater strain on infrastructure.
Data quality matters more than data volume
One of the strongest takeaways for me was the growing recognition that grid modernisation depends on access to reliable, high-quality data delivered consistently and frequently.
Smart metering and grid digitalisation are becoming essential because they help utilities improve visibility across increasingly complex networks. But data alone is not enough. The real value comes from turning that information into actionable operational insight that supports forecasting, infrastructure planning, outage response, and long-term investment decisions.
This is where the industry conversation is maturing. The focus is shifting away from technology deployment alone towards how utilities build more resilient and data-driven operations over time.
The next phase of transformation
What ASEAN is doing through RIPAP signals something important. Smart grid transformation is becoming a coordinated regional priority, not just an individual utility initiative.
The next challenge will be creating the conditions that allow utilities, governments, and technology providers to scale these investments effectively and collaboratively.
From my perspective, that is where some of the most important work now begins.
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