Harry Wu, journalist for Southern Finance Omnimedia Corp (SFC)

As global energy demand grows, energy transition is also imminent, which is a paradox in a sense.  

Taufik, Chairman of Energy Asia, said in an interview with SFC at Energy Asia 2025 that he remains positive about the future. While building a sustainable future, people's lives need to be enriched, and the energy produced to meet these demands is not necessarily destructive or disruptive, Taufik said.

According to the International Monetary Fund, the current per capita GDP of countries in the Asia-Pacific region ranges from a high of US$93,000 to a low of US$1,200. More than 350 million people in the Asia-Pacific region have limited access to electricity, and 150 million people do not even have access to electricity.

Taufik emphasized that every country in Asia has the right to pursue economic development and needs to strike a balance between pursuing growth responsibly and fairly. The challenges facing Asia cannot be ignored. Even with abundant resources, there is inequality, he said.

"We need to ensure that all social classes can develop in the pursuit of economic prosperity. We can't leave segments of society behind and I believe this is not something that is an either-or situation."

As Asia strives to achieve net zero emissions, Tawfik estimated that Asia will still need US$88.7 trillion in energy investment by 2050. Investment and spending will still be necessary in both traditional and renewable energy systems.