Kuala Lumpur, 18 November 2025: The Cybersecurity Summit for Energy Sector (ERAB 2025) was held in Kuala Lumpur, co-organised by the IPv6 Forum Malaysia, ERIA, and the Cyber Civilization Research Center (CCRC) of Keio University. The summit convened government representatives, researchers, and industry experts to exchange perspectives on the evolving cybersecurity challenges emerging from the digitalisation and decentralisation of energy systems.

The event opened with remarks from Professor Emeritus Dr Sureswaran Ramadass, Chairman of the APAC IPv6 Council and Subject Matter Expert at the Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). He welcomed participants and emphasised the growing importance of securing increasingly interconnected communication and energy systems.

Mr Tsutomu Yamada, Director of the Advanced Energy Systems and Structure Division at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI), delivered an online address highlighting the need for continuous information-sharing as digital transformation accelerates across the power sector. This was followed by comments from Tuan Haji Che Juhan Che Mat, Chief Technical and Monitoring Officer at MCMC, who outlined Malaysia’s perspective on strengthening preparedness for emerging risks in the energy and communications domains.

The organisers also conveyed an official message from Dr Nuki Agya Utama, Director for Energy Policy and Head of the Asia Zero Emission Center at ERIA. Dr Nuki expressed appreciation for the contributions of participating institutions and noted that the summit builds on a workshop held earlier this year in Bandung, Indonesia. He underscored the importance of sustained collaboration to enhance energy-system security across the ASEAN region.

Throughout the programme, speakers from government agencies, research institutions, and regional organisations shared insights from policy, regulatory, and technical perspectives:

• Mr Naoto Okura, Director General for Research and Policy Design at ERIA, presented recent initiatives and upcoming activities related to energy, encouraging continued co-operation with regional partners.
• Mr Buddy Harianto, Deputy Director at the Energy Commission of Malaysia, highlighted national efforts to prepare for the expansion of distributed energy resources.
• Professor Dr Masaki Umejima, Project Professor at CCRC, Keio University, and Convener of the IEC System Committee on Smart Energy, provided updates on IEC standards and their relevance to emerging smart energy systems.
• Mr Akinori Kahata, Deputy Director of the Electricity Industry & Market Office at METI Japan, discussed cybersecurity considerations amidst evolving electricity market structures.
• Mr Hiroshige Muraoka, President of Nomura Research Institute Singapore, outlined regional trends in power-system digitalisation and related security challenges.

Additional technical insights were provided by:

• Dr Chalee Vorakulpipat, Director of the Communication and Networks Research Group at NECTEC Thailand, who shared Thailand’s experience in network and communication security.
• Dr Ary Setijadi Prihatmanto, Head of the Center of Excellence in Defence & Security Science and Technology at Bandung Institute of Technology, who presented research findings from defence-related security fields relevant to the energy sector.

Participants later joined two parallel working groups. Professor Umejima introduced key concepts relevant to each discussion, drawing on his ongoing work and contributions to ERAB initiatives. The policy-focused group was chaired by Assoc. Prof. Ts Dr Saraswathy Shamini Gunasekaran of Taylor’s University, while the research-focused group was chaired by Professor Dr Selvakumar Manickam of CYRES, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Both chairpersons summarised key discussion points and outlined potential areas for future collaboration.

The summit concluded with closing remarks from Professor Emeritus Ramadass and Professor Umejima, who reaffirmed the importance of sustained knowledge-sharing and co-operation across ASEAN as energy systems become increasingly interconnected and technologically advanced.

ERIA will continue engaging with ASEAN partners to exchange insights, monitor emerging developments, and provide analytical perspectives to regional discussions on energy-system security.