Wendy Lo

At Taipei's 2026 International Sustainability Summit, IUCN's Dindo Campilan warned that most companies remain weak on nature-regenerative strategies despite progress on climate and circular economy goals.

Nuclear power is re-entering Southeast Asia’s energy planning. At a May 5 webinar hosted by the ISEAS, experts highlighted that although Vietnam and the Philippines both seek nuclear power to decarbonize their grids, their focus remains distinct.

Since February, portable solar power station prices in Malaysia have risen 20% and monthly sales have jumped fivefold as households hedge against power disruptions and rising electricity tariffs.

Thailand's Ministry of Transport is proposing an 80% annual vehicle tax cut for new factory-built EVs and expanding the trade-in scheme to taxi fleets—targeting 300,000 additional EVs.

Vietnam’s energy storage sector is drawing growing corporate interest. However, as of early 2025, Vietnam had installed less than 100 MW of BESS, against a revised PDP8 target of 10,000 to 16,300 MW by 2030.

Malaysia's EV registrations hit 4,352 units in February 2026—up 58%—but local content sits at just 20–30% versus Thailand's 40% requirement. BYD is reconsidering its assembly plans after MITI imposed an 80% export quota and MYR 100,000 price floor.

Enterprise Singapore's updated sustainability playbook sets 2030 targets of 15–25% energy and water intensity cuts for the sector's 1,500+ companies, whose SGD 11.2 billion in sales are 65% export-dependent.

Baker McKenzie advisors say energy and power reliability are now board-level M&A considerations for Taiwanese companies expanding in Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia—with deal structures being rewritten to absorb fuel price volatility.