Currents beneath currents: Overcoming ASEAN's subsea power cable governance challenges

The report argues that the primary barriers to subsea power cable deployment in ASEAN are institutional rather than technical. It identifies gaps in regional planning, cost allocation, and maritime coordination, suggesting a phased approach to strengthen governance. Key recommendations include operationalising the ASEAN Power Grid Generation and Transmission Planning (AGTP) function, exploring cross-border cost allocation (CBCA) frameworks, and deepening the role of the Submarine Cable Working Group to manage the complexities of shared maritime spaces.

• The development of cross-border subsea power cables in ASEAN is currently limited by institutional and governance challenges rather than engineering feasibility, as the necessary technical know-how is already well established.
• ASEAN lacks a continuous, structured regional planning mechanism to prioritise interconnection projects based on system-wide needs, with current development often driven by national priorities, political alignment, or short-term commercial viability.
• Current cost allocation in ASEAN relies on bilateral negotiations and usage-based mechanisms like wheeling charges, which may be insufficient for complex, multi-jurisdictional subsea projects where benefits and externalities are distributed across multiple countries.
• Subsea interconnectors introduce a unique spatial governance layer requiring coordination with non-energy maritime authorities for shipping, fisheries, and environmental protection, a process currently handled on a project-by-project basis in ASEAN.
• Europe's experience demonstrates that governance for subsea interconnection evolves incrementally; for example, the Ten-Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP) and the Projects of Common Interest (PCI) framework provide structured regional coordination and financial support.
• The report recommends a phased institutional pathway for ASEAN: first operationalising the AGTP function for regional planning, then piloting cross-border cost allocation (CBCA) frameworks, and finally strengthening maritime coordination through a dedicated working group.

APA

Demoral, A., & Setyawati, D. (2026). Currents beneath currents: Overcoming ASEAN's subsea power cable governance challenges. Ember. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/06/Currents-beneath-currents-Overcoming-ASEANs-subsea-power-cable-governance-challenges.pdf

Chicago

Demoral, Alnie, and Dinita Setyawati. Currents beneath currents: Overcoming ASEAN's subsea power cable governance challenges. Ember, 2026. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/06/Currents-beneath-currents-Overcoming-ASEANs-subsea-power-cable-governance-challenges.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Demoral |first1=Alnie |last2=Setyawati |first2=Dinita |title=Currents beneath currents: Overcoming ASEAN's subsea power cable governance challenges |publisher=Ember |date=17 June 2026 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/06/Currents-beneath-currents-Overcoming-ASEANs-subsea-power-cable-governance-challenges.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{demoral2026currents, author = {Demoral, Alnie and Setyawati, Dinita}, title = {{Currents beneath currents: Overcoming ASEAN's subsea power cable governance challenges}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2026/06/Currents-beneath-currents-Overcoming-ASEANs-subsea-power-cable-governance-challenges.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }