Lin Bo-yu

Singapore leads Southeast Asia in the number of green startups, with 494 companies accounting for around 45% of the regional total—far surpassing second- and third-ranked Indonesia and Malaysia.

Japanese renewable energy developer Shizen Energy announced on Dec. 15 that it has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with U.S. technology giant Google to develop a 29.9 MW solar photovoltaic project in Malaysia.

Starting in 2026, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) in Vietnam will be subject to an excise tax rate equivalent to 70% of that applied to conventional gasoline and diesel cars.

A series of typhoons and tropical cyclones in November swept across the Philippines and Indonesia, reaching as far as Vietnam, Thailand, and even Sri Lanka, leaving more than a thousand people dead and displaced millions.

Singapore’s state investment fund–backed conglomerate Sembcorp Industries announced on Dec. 11 that it will acquire Alinta Energy, an Australian power producer owned by Hong Kong’s Chow Tai Fook Enterprises, for AUD 5.6 billion (roughly USD 3.7 billion).

The Philippines, which has taken over the ASEAN chairmanship, plans to strengthen regional grid interconnections and accelerate work on the ASEAN Power Grid (APG). The Department of Energy (DOE) aims to release a policy framework in January 2026.

Saudi Arabia is sharpening its focus on Asia and the wider Global South as it seeks to position itself at the center of emerging carbon markets.

Vietnam’s plan to revive nuclear power has hit turbulence after Japan withdrew from the Ninh Thuan 2 project, citing an overly compressed construction schedule. The exit raises fresh concerns over Vietnam’s already strained power supply outlook.