Access Partnership, Lucetia Group and Norton Rose Fulbright wins competitive bid to deliver ASEAN submarine power cable guidelines

Access Partnership, Lucetia Group and Norton Rose Fulbright, today announced that the three-party Consortium has been appointed by Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) and the Energy Market Authority (EMA) to develop legal and regulatory guidelines to facilitate submarine power cable activities in ASEAN.

The guidelines are being developed as part of ASEAN’s commitment to develop a regional Submarine Power Cable Development Framework which will support ASEAN’s goals of strengthening cross-border energy cooperation and harnessing energy as a driver for inclusive growth.

Working with MTI and EMA as well as the ASEAN Centre for Energy, the Consortium will bring together world-leading technical, legal, investment, geopolitical and institutional expertise to design guidelines, referencing international law and globally-recognised best practices.

Marcus Ng, Head of APAC, Access Partnership commented, “This is a landmark mandate for Singapore and ASEAN. Cross-border energy collaboration is critical in supporting ASEAN’s capacity to unlock the benefits of digitalisation and artificial intelligence in a sustainable manner.  Access Partnership has worked with ASEAN on a range of digital transformation, digital infrastructure and AI issues and we are uniquely placed to deliver a framework that works for governments, regulators and investors.”

Georgie Skipper, CEO, Lucetia Group added, “We are proud of the team we have brought together: people who have spent careers developing exactly the kind of infrastructure this framework will enable. We hope the Framework becomes a genuine foundation for an enabling environment — one that attracts the investment and development Southeast Asia needs to secure reliable, affordable and resilient power, and to benefit fully from the regional growth that lies ahead.  Cross-border electricity trade in Southeast Asia has enormous potential to drive energy security and economic growth across the region, but realising that potential requires a policy environment that gives investors certainty and governments confidence.”

Shamim Razavi, Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright added, “We are delighted to be involved in this important initiative. Drawing on international best practice and our own experience of navigating these legal frameworks for some of the world’s most innovative renewable power projects and interconnects, we look forward to contributing constructively to the development of an actionable framework that is adapted to the needs of the ASEAN region and implementable across its diverse jurisdictions.”

This work will support the enhanced resilience of the regional energy infrastructure and provide a strong foundation upon which an enabling environment for submarine power cable investment and development could be created. This will pave the way for ASEAN to meet regional energy needs more efficiently and expand access to renewable power for citizens and businesses.

Access Partnership brings experience from similar projects around the world, coupled with deep understanding of how ASEAN institutions operate and on the ground presence across Southeast Asia. Lucetia Group is responsible for the technical and strategic development of the guidelines, bringing deep expertise in subsea cable infrastructure, energy policy and investment. Norton Rose Fulbright is responsible for developing the guidelines and applying legal analysis at the national, regional and international levels to develop guidelines fit for purpose for Southeast Asia.