From 18 to 20 July 2023, the Philippines Department of Energy, and the Project “Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy for Southeast Asia” (CASE) organised the first Regional Energy Transition Dialogue (RETD) “Ensuring a Just and Equitable Energy Transition” in Manila, the Philippines, in order to provide space for dialogue between high-ranking government officials from CASE countries—Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the Ministry of National Development Planning (Indonesia); the Department of Energy, National Economics and Development Authority (the Philippines); the Ministry of Energy, The Office of the National Economic and Social Development Council (Thailand); and the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Vietnam National Assembly (Vietnam).

The 3-day conference provided CASE political partners with an open space to discuss the experiences of their power sectors’ transition to clean, secure, and affordable energy in the face of rapidly rising energy demand due to the region’s vast economic growth. In addition, the participants were able to align their development strategies, integrating regional policies into their respective national plans, and leveraging regional cooperation. The event took place under Chatham House Rules, meaning participants are allowed to use the information from the conversations, without attributing content to specific persons.

This dialogue served as a valuable platform for the CASE project which aims to support a narrative change in the SEA power sector towards an evidence-based energy transition in pursuit of the Paris Agreement Goals.