Video: Opening speech by Carlos Felipe, WBG Vice President for East Asia and Pacific.

 

The East Asia and Pacific (EAP) Energy Knowledge and Learning Forum — taking place in Bali, Indonesia from June 3 to 5, 2026 — is the first structured regional platform for peer learning on sustainable energy transition in East Asia and the Pacific. Convened by the World Bank Group with support from Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) and international partners including the International Energy Agency (IEA), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), the Forum brings together approximately 80 participants, including Ministers of Energy, CEOs and technical managers from power utilities, World Bank management and staff, and representatives from IFC and MIGA. The Forum program has been developed in collaboration with the World Bank Group Academy to deliver a cohesive and impactful learning experience for all participants.

Over three days, participants will engage in high-level ministerial dialogue, technical sessions, and parallel sessions organized around six core themes: variable renewable energy integration and grid stability; regional power grid and market integration; utility digitalization and performance improvement; innovative financing for energy infrastructure; last-mile and off-grid electrification in the Pacific islands and remote contexts; and industrial decarbonization.

A central feature of the Forum will be the launch of a Communities of Practice, designed to sustain peer exchange and technical collaboration well beyond Bali. By the close of the Forum, participants are expected to leave with actionable knowledge, stronger regional networks, and a shared foundation for accelerating the energy transition across the region. Expected outcomes include informing national policy reforms, enhancing the implementation of ongoing energy programs, and strengthening the technical capacity of the participants.


Related:

Scaling up Energy Transition in East Asia and Pacific

Discussion at the Forum is organized around six themes that reflect the practical questions ministries and utilities across East Asia and the Pacific are grappling with right now: from enabling variable renewables at scale, to designing frameworks for regional power trade, to attracting financing for the energy transition.
 

  1. Variable Renewable Energy and Grid Stability: Scaling solar and wind across EAP.
  2. Regional Power Grid and Market Integration: The ASEAN Power Grid vision and cross-border interconnection.
  3. Industrial Decarbonization: Global technology and policy trends in the EAP context.
  4. Utility Digitalization and Performance: The renewable-ready utility of the future.
  5. Innovative Financing: MDB innovation, climate finance, and utility-level cases.
  6. Last-Mile and Off-Grid Electrification: Cost-effective technologies for Small Island Developing States.

 

 

A central feature of the Forum is the formal launch of Communities of Practice (CoPs), designed to sustain peer exchange and technical collaboration well beyond Bali.

 

The Communities of Practice connect participants to a permanent regional network of utility professionals, grid operators, and technical experts organized around the themes that matter most to their work. Backed by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program, the International Finance Corporation, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, and the World Bank’s Knowledge team, they ensure the relationships and knowledge built in Bali continue to grow, giving teams ongoing access to peer expertise and global technical support long after the Forum.

 

Why Communities of Practice?

 

  • Continuity — turning a three-day event into a long-running peer network.
  • Operational depth — case studies and lessons from practitioners who have built and run these systems in contexts similar to yours.
  • Access — ongoing connection to global technical expertise via the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program, the International Finance Corporation, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, the International Energy Agency, the International Renewable Energy Agency, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
  • Influence — communities of practice that can inform regional initiatives such as the ASEAN Power Grid Financing Initiative, ASEAN-led work, and Pacific energy programs.

The Forum is convened by the World Bank Group with support from ESMAP and a coalition of international partners bringing complementary expertise across renewable energy integration, grid modernization, regional power trade, and industrial decarbonization.

 

World Bank Group

  • East Asia and Pacific Energy, the practice convening the Forum
  • Energy Sector Management Assistance Program
  • International Finance Corporation
  • Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
  • World Bank Academy, supporting the knowledge agenda

 

International Partners

  • International Energy Agency, Southeast Asia variable renewable energy readiness, cross-border interconnection financing
  • International Renewable Energy Agency, global perspectives on scaling renewables
  • University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
  • International Solar Alliance, ministerial roundtable moderation
  • ASEAN Centre for Energy, ASEAN Power Grid and market integration
  • Asian Development Bank, ASEAN Power Grid investment acceleration

 

Featured Utility & Industry Contributors

  • Perusahaan Listrik Negara, Indonesia, ISLE program, smart-grid roadmap, last-mile electrification, finance
  • Korea Electric Power Corporation, digital utility benchmark
  • Korea Power Exchange, system operations
  • National System and Market Operator of Viet Nam, transmission digitalization
  • Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited, distribution-utility digital turnaround
  • Centro Elettrotecnico Sperimentale Italiano, APG subsea cable financing
  • Huaxia Bank, industrial-park decarbonization finance
  • Monsoon Wind Power Company, cross-border renewable energy private capital, Lao PDR and Viet Nam
  • Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology, industrial decarbonization policy

 

Government Participation

Ministers and senior officials from Indonesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, China, the Philippines, Lao PDR and Viet Nam will participate in plenary and parallel sessions