Southeast Asia faces rapidly rising power demand over the coming two decades, demand which has to date been met mostly by fossil fuels.  With an abundance of solar, hydropower and some wind resources, the region’s policy makers are looking to strengthen the regulatory and governance arrangements that might facilitate greater investment in renewables – including by developing a regionally integrated power grid. 

While a regional power grid makes sense from a technical and economic perspective, there is a research gap on the political economy of regional power trading in Southeast Asia.  This research project explores this question through qualitative case studies examining the experiences of Singapore, Thailand and Laos.