ASEAN-German Energy Programme (AGEP), a jointly implemented programme by ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) launched the 2021 edition of the ASEAN Country Profiles featuring the updated energy statistics, analysis and recommendations from the 6^th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO6), and activities in each country related to energy development amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Based on the 2019 data from the ASEAN Energy Database System (AEDS), the ASEAN region has jointly reached an 89% electrification ratio with about 24% and growing renewable energies mix in its power generation. The detailed statistics of each ASEAN Member States (AMS) were presented in the first section to showcase countries’ energy supply by type of resources, consumption by fuel and sector, installed capacity versus power generation categorised by type of technology.

The analysis from the 6^th ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO6) projected that the region’s energy demand will reach triple in 2040, due to economic growth. To curb the increasing energy demand, AEO6 provided some policy recommendations through optimising energy efficiency and increasing renewable energy for several sectors. The second section highlights the recommendations grouped by sectors, such as power generation, transportation, residential, industrial and commercial.

Lastly, the third section shares some of the efforts and status of energy development of the AMS during the challenging pandemic situation. To maintain economic stability, most of the countries exercise relief policies, such as for electricity bills, oil and gas prices. On the other hand, the declining demand for energy due to activities limitation has been an opportunity for some countries for stockpiling to secure their energy supply. Although few energy development projects or powerplants were impacted by the pandemic, most of the projects especially renewable energies could still progress. (JM)