Bandung, 24 April 2025: ERIA hosted a hybrid conference titled ‘Constructing a Future of Secure and Resilient Energy Resource Aggregation in the Digital Era: Cyber-Physical Security, Technology Innovation, and Energy Resource Aggregation Business (ERAB)’ in Bandung, Indonesia, on 24 April 2025. The event brought together policymakers, energy experts, researchers, and industry leaders to strengthen the foundations of distributed energy systems (DES) and advance regional collaboration under initiatives such as the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC).

The workshop opened with keynote addresses underscoring the need to align energy transition with cybersecurity priorities:

• Shinichi Kihara (Director-General for Energy and Environmental Policy at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI)) stressed the importance of achieving shared goals through diverse resilience strategies.
• ‘Decarbonisation is not just a goal; it is a commitment to the future we all share,’ according to Dr Nuki Agya Utama (ERIA’s Director for Energy Policy and Head of Asia Zero Emission Center), who also introduced the role of the Asia Zero Emission Center.
• Ir. Purnomo Yusgiantoro (Special Advisor to the Indonesian President for Energy) outlined priorities for establishing Cyber-Physical Security Frameworks (CPSF) and enhancing readiness for future distributed energy resources (DER), DES, and aggregator integration.
• Air Vice-Marshal R. Tjahyo Khurniawan (Deputy for Strategy and Policy, BSSN, Indonesia) discussed cybersecurity regulations for safeguarding national critical energy infrastructure.
• Dr Jun Murai (Advisor to Japan’s Digital Agency and Senior Advanced Research Project Professor at Keio University) reflected on 3 decades of digital infrastructure development and emphasised the importance of collective international cybersecurity efforts.
• Dr Masaki Umejima (International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC) introduced the SRD 63443 framework to support ERAB system resilience.
• Dr Soontorn Sirapaisan (National Cyber Security Agency, Thailand) shared Thailand’s cybersecurity strategy aligned with international standards.
• Dr Hariyanto (Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia) explored the integration of cybersecurity policies into national energy planning.
• Akinori Kahata (METI) introduced the Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Project focused on ERAB and CPSF development.
• Abdan Hanif Satria B. (PLN, Indonesia) addressed cybersecurity challenges in Indonesia’s energy aggregation sector.
• Dr Ary Setijadi Prihatmanto (Bandung Institute of Technology) discussed disruptive technologies bridging laboratory research and industry in energy aggregation.
• Dr Manickam Selvakumar (Universiti Sains Malaysia) outlined future directions for advancing CPSF and ERAB in Malaysia.
• Hiroshige Muraoka (Nomura Research Institute, Singapore) presented ERIA’s study on promoting cybersecurity for DES and smart grids across ASEAN.

The afternoon sessions featured two in-depth panel discussions. The CPSF panel, moderated by Dr Manickam Selvakumar, focused on strategies to mitigate cyber-physical threats to energy systems:

• Dr Andhika Prastawa (BRIN, Indonesia) shared strategies for protecting physical energy infrastructure.
• Wahyu Ahadi Rouzi (PLN) elaborated on CPSF applications in utility operations.
• Alfan Presekal (Universitas Indonesia) introduced machine learning for threat detection.
• Jitsatha Thatavakorn (EGAT, Thailand) described efforts to embed trust in smart grid transitions.
• Hilal Hudan Nuha (Telkom University, Indonesia) discussed resilient ICT system design.
• Basuki Suhardiman (ITB, Indonesia) and Dr Masaki Umejima (International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC) advocated for open network security frameworks to enhance trust in energy IoT systems.

The ERAB panel, moderated by Hiroshige Muraoka, explored distributed energy aggregation business models:

• Goi Hoe Chin (NUCB) discussed ERAB policy pathways and start-up ecosystems.
• Takahiro Endo (INTEC) presented on UCHITAS, a home energy management platform aligned with international standards such as ECHONET Lite AIF.
• Norio Shigetomi (Kyudenko Indonesia Representative Office) introduced microgrid deployment for remote communities.
• Patrick Veron (EWIS Asia) highlighted opportunities for leveraging ERAB for revenue growth, cybersecurity, and strategic partnerships with technology providers.
• Sarawut Phoolma (EGAT) concluded with insights into operational coordination within Thailand’s grid balancing infrastructure.

In closing, Dr Masaki Umejima outlined research priorities for 2025–2026, focusing on the balance of research and operations to support social infrastructure. Dr Keiko Okawa (Director at the SOI Asia Project and Advanced Research Project Professor at Japan’s Keio University), explained the significance of Asian-wide internet engineering education and research collaboration. Dr Jun Murai stressed the importance of integrating cybersecurity research with digital ethics, highlighting trust, openness, and resilience as essential pillars for sustainable digital energy infrastructure.

The conference concluded that embedding cyber-physical security measures is critical for ASEAN’s secure, sustainable, and interconnected energy future.