{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1725793,
        "msgid": "at-asean-summit-bahlil-pushes-for-cross-regional-electricity-interconnection-1778219583",
        "date": "2026-05-08 12:15:00",
        "title": "At ASEAN Summit, Bahlil Pushes for Cross-Regional Electricity Interconnection",
        "author": "",
        "source": "CNBC",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Energy",
        "summary": "At the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines, Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia advocated for energy infrastructure that delivers tangible benefits to remote, frontier, and outer regions, emphasising equitable, reliable, and affordable electricity access through subregional cooperation in the BIMP-EAGA forum. President Prabowo Subianto reinforced the need for adaptive and impactful collaboration, including enhancing the Trans Borneo Power Grid for efficient energy distribution, to secure livelihoods and foster sustainable economic growth in Southeast Asia. This initiative aims to strengthen regional partnerships, mobilise funding and technical expertise, and position ASEAN as a resilient economic hub amid global challenges.",
        "content": "<p>At the ASEAN Summit in the Philippines, Minister of Energy and\nMineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, accompanying President Prabowo\nSubianto, stated that regional energy infrastructure must provide real\nimpacts for communities in remote, frontier, and outer regions (3T).\nAccording to Bahlil, subregional cooperation should not only focus on\ninter-country connectivity but also ensure equitable, reliable, and\naffordable electricity access even to the most remote areas. \u201cThis\nmeeting is an initiative of subregional economic cooperation formed in\n1994 to promote development in 3T areas for the four member countries,\u201d\nBahlil said on the sidelines of the forum. Bahlil noted that the\nBrunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA)\nforum serves as a crucial momentum for Indonesia to strengthen synergies\nin cross-regional electricity development, particularly through energy\ninterconnection projects, rural electrification, and the development of\nnew renewable energy. These efforts are deemed essential to improve\nenergy access for communities in border areas and remote islands,\nthereby driving local economic growth. \u201cThis synergy will strengthen\ncollaboration so that communities in remote areas can access affordable\nenergy for better welfare,\u201d Bahlil stated. Through active participation,\nthe Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources is optimistic that the\nfoundation of cooperation among the four countries will become more\nsolid to synergise in building energy infrastructure. This is expected\nnot only to secure each country\u2019s supply chain but also to accelerate\nSoutheast Asia as a resilient and sustainable economic growth axis.\nMeanwhile, President Prabowo Subianto, in his speech at the summit,\nemphasised that BIMP-EAGA must continue to evolve to more tangibly\naddress the needs of communities in the region. According to the\nPresident, this subregional cooperation must become more adaptive,\nimpactful, and responsive to constantly changing global dynamics. \u201cWith\nthat spirit, BIMP-EAGA must continue to develop. BIMP-EAGA must be more\nadaptive, more impactful, and more responsive to our communities\u2019\nneeds,\u201d he continued. President Prabowo also stressed that the primary\npriority for member countries at present is to protect the safety and\nlivelihoods of the people. President Prabowo mentioned that the\nBIMP-EAGA 2035 vision has provided a clear direction, but the next\nchallenge is to ensure tangible implementation. \u201cOur priority is clear:\nprotecting the safety and livelihoods of our people. The BIMP-EAGA 2035\nvision has given us a clear direction. Now the task is to realise it,\u201d\nthe President said. Furthermore, Prabowo emphasised the importance of\nstrengthening subregional connectivity, including increasing the\ncapacity of the Trans Borneo Power Grid network so that energy\ndistribution can run more efficiently in the region. The President\nassessed that all these agendas require financing support, technical\nexpertise, and closer partnerships with regional development partners.\n\u201cAll this will not happen without the right support. We need to secure\nfunding, mobilise technical expertise, and deepen partnerships with our\nregional advisors and Development Partners,\u201d he asserted. From Cebu,\nPresident Prabowo also sent a message that regional solidarity and\ncooperation are the main keys for ASEAN to remain resilient in facing\nincreasingly complex global dynamics.<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/at-asean-summit-bahlil-pushes-for-cross-regional-electricity-interconnection-1778219583",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}