With the region’s increasing vulnerability to the climate crisis, ASEAN states, together with Chinese development partners, are looking at industrial parks as a key area for reducing carbon emissions. To advance this effort, the Mekong Institute (MI), in partnership with the China Energy Research Society (CERS) and supported by the Energy Foundation China (EFC), co-hosted a regional training on green energy transition and zero-carbon parks. Held from October 20 to 24, 2025, in Shanghai and Suzhou, China, the training brought together 25 delegates representing line ministries as well as state-owned and private-sector enterprises from China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam.
“ASEAN is growing and is poised to be an engine for global economic growth over the next decade. You can imagine the demand for energy to support this growth, especially in industrial zones, which is why these areas are strategically important for our energy transition efforts,” said MI Executive Director Mr. Suriyan Vichitlekarn, thanking partners and resource persons for sharing China’s expertise and experience in building net-zero carbon industrial parks.
In his remarks, Mr. Sun Zhengyun, Vice President and Secretary-General of CERS, spoke about the shared natural foundation for cooperation between China and ASEAN. He noted ASEAN countries’ active pursuit of green development, as reflected in the vigorous progress in constructing industrial parks. “Thanks to characteristics such as dense populations, diverse energy consumption types, and concentrated innovation elements, these parks can serve as ideal application scenarios for the green energy transition… We aim to take zero-carbon parks as a starting point to build a cooperation platform for mutual learning, experience sharing, and win-win outcomes,” he said.
Zero-carbon park development depends on collaborative decarbonization strategies, including shared infrastructure and technologies for energy generation, carbon capture, risk reduction and sharing, as well as operational efficiencies that provide far greater cost-effectiveness compared with individual companies or manufacturers building separate green energy systems.
Consistent with this, expert presentations and dialogues during the regional training stressed that successful energy transition rests on three interconnected foundations: strong policy and coordination to set direction, robust financial support to mobilize capital, and ESG integration for accountability and risk management.
Moreover, Dr. Liu Jianguo, Deputy Director of the International Cooperation Center, Energy Research Institute, Academy of Macroeconomic Research, said in a keynote that the global shift to a low-carbon system is not optional but a mandatory path for sustainable development, necessitating accelerated China-ASEAN cooperation to bridge financing and technology gaps.
Context-aware solutions
The heart of the training was an exercise on designing zero-carbon parks. Delegates were divided into four mixed groups to conduct case studies on both potential new projects and existing industrial parks. They assessed sites using criteria such as location, governance, industrial activity, energy demand and sources, available infrastructure, technological enablers, and business models.
The exercise showed that green energy transformations require practical, context-aware solutions and a holistic system approach that goes beyond single technologies. Successful designs integrated supply-side solutions, like Solar PV and Battery Energy Storage (BESS), with smart demand management and digital systems.
Teams also translated high-level policy, such as national Net-Zero mandates, and market lessons, including Electricity Market Reforms, into actionable steps. Delegates explored tools like Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) to create multi-phase roadmaps for zero-carbon parks.
On behalf of EFC, Ms. Xing Yunfei, Officer of International Cooperation, noted the timeliness and practicality of the training, explaining that it equips participants with actionable ideas to tackle the climate crisis through zero-carbon parks. She added that EFC is delighted to have supported the regional training, which turns innovative concepts into solutions that can be implemented on the ground.
As part of the training, delegates visited sites demonstrating useful applications of green energy technologies. These included the Sany Heavy Machinery Smart Factory, which integrates digital technology with smart manufacturing; the Goodwe Suzhou Industrial Park, focused on the production of clean energy components; the Tongli (Suzhou) Energy Internet Town, a working example of integrated multi-energy systems and smart grids; and the GCL Suzhou Energy Center, where participants explored the “Future Energy Pavilion,” featuring holographic 3D displays and innovations aligned with national carbon and energy goals.
Delegates also attended the Suzhou International Forum on Energy Transition, hosted by China’s National Energy Administration, which provided high-level policy insights and a broader context to complement the lessons learned during the site visits.
