RECCESSARY’s “ASEAN Weekly” highlights Southeast Asia’s new energy and carbon market updates. (Image: RECCESSARY)
This week in ASEAN, energy security emerged as a key challenge for the region. The IEA warned that Southeast Asia’s $160 billion fossil fuel import bill may become the new normal, underscoring the need for stronger grids and diversified energy supplies. Meanwhile, Thailand’s Gulf Energy is expanding discussions on LNG and renewable projects in Vietnam as the country seeks new sources of power for growth and decarbonization.Below are ASEAN’s key energy and sustainability stories from June 15–21.
RECCESSARY hosts first overseas seminar in Vietnam, unpacking DPPA, CBAM strategies for businesses
RECCESSARY, a media platform focused on carbon markets and new energy, held its first overseas seminar in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on June 12. The event aimed to help Taiwanese businesses navigate Vietnam’s low-carbon transition, covering decarbonization pathways, Direct Power Purchase Agreements (DPPA), the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), and energy storage developments.
Titled “From Compliance to Competitiveness: A 2026 Decarbonization Playbook for Taiwanese Businesses in Vietnam,” the seminar featured speakers including Wu Yi-min, Vice Chairman of the Taiwan Alliance for Net Zero Emission (ANZET); Chen Kuo-lung, Chief Sustainability Officer of AcBel Polytech; Fu Kuan-chin, Business Development Manager at Constant Energy; Colin Li, Vice President of Digital Energy at Huawei Southeast Asia; as well as RECCESSARY analysts Sherry Hu and Jessie Tsai, who shared first-hand insights into Vietnam’s evolving market. Read more here
Vietnam ESG Forum puts carbon accounting, Scope 3 disclosures in business spotlight
Vietnam, a critical node in the global supply chain, is at a pivotal decision point in its transition toward sustainability and ESG governance. The ESG Service Corporation Association hosted a forum in Ho Chi Minh City on June 13, featuring the signing of two memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and expert discussions on sustainable value creation, low-carbon manufacturing, and carbon border policies. Read more here
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The ESG Service Corporation Association invited experts to share decarbonization strategies for supply chains in Vietnam. (Photo: Boyu Lin)
The Southeast Asia data center sustainability feature series is now live on RECCESSARY
RECCESSARY presents the special series “Beyond Energy: Southeast Asia’s data center challenges,” drawing on interviews with construction material suppliers, recycling companies, technology providers, and industry experts. Across five articles, the series examines whether the systems needed to support the next generation of sustainable data centers are developing as quickly as the facilities themselves, from water management and hardware circularity to the low-carbon cement and steel supply chains required to reduce embodied carbon. Read more here
Thailand’s Gulf Energy explores new LNG, renewable projects in Vietnam
Vietnam is seeking deeper cooperation with Thailand’s Gulf Energy as the country races to secure new sources of electricity to support industrial growth and decarbonization goals.
Gulf Energy is one of Thailand’s largest private power producers, with more than 16 GW of installed capacity globally. During a meeting in Thailand, Vietnamese President To Lam encouraged Gulf Energy to accelerate investments in Vietnam, particularly projects that align with environmental standards and support technology transfer and workforce development. Read more here
Gulf Energy is exploring additional renewable energy and LNG projects in Vietnam. (Photo: Gulf)
Indonesia’s 100 GW solar ambition: Can rural cooperatives bridge the gap?
In August 2025, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto announced an ambitious plan to deploy 100 gigawatts (GW) of solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity within five years — equivalent to 93 per cent of Indonesia’s current power capacity. In response to the energy crisis following the US-led war against Iran, the president compressed the timeline to two years, framing solar-powered electricity as an urgent need amid the current geopolitical landscape.
This commitment provides new momentum for Indonesia’s energy transition and decentralisation plans. However, the bolder ambition leaves serious concerns unaddressed: the Prabowo administration is maintaining its strategy to rely on village cooperatives to execute the programme without strengthening their capacity. Read more here
Thailand looks to turn nature into an economic asset as green finance agenda expands
Thailand is positioning nature as part of its economic growth strategy, with policymakers and the World Bank arguing that forests, watersheds, coastal ecosystems, and biodiversity should be treated as productive assets rather than environmental externalities.
The World Bank estimates that Thailand’s natural capital accounted for 11% of total per-capita wealth in 2018, down from 21% in 2005, highlighting how economic growth has increasingly relied on the depletion of natural assets. Read more here
Southeast Asia’s $160 billion fossil fuel import bill may become the new normal, IEA warns
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has warned that Southeast Asia’s record fossil fuel import bill is no longer an exceptional event but a structural feature of the region’s energy system, as rising demand increasingly outpaces domestic supply.
Presenting the Southeast Asia Energy Outlook 2026 on Tuesday, IEA said the recent Strait of Hormuz crisis has exposed deep vulnerabilities in the region’s energy security. Nearly half of Southeast Asia’s oil consumption depends on Middle Eastern supply, either through direct imports or through regional refineries processing crude. Read more here
In Thailand, EUDR pressure on small-scale rubber farmers prompts private-sector assistance
Small-scale farmers who underpin Thailand’s lucrative natural rubber industry are under pressure to prepare for the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), due to take effect at the end of the year. From geolocation data to legal documentation, smallholders will have to provide evidence their products are deforestation-free if they want to continue supplying European markets. Read more here
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