Talent Shortage A Key Barrier To ASEAN Energy Transition - Gamuda Engineering

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- The ASEAN region’s energy sector is grappling with a severe talent shortage amid the rapid pace of the energy transition, with the availability of skilled workers emerging as the single biggest factor limiting growth, said Gamuda Engineering Sdn Bhd managing director Justin Chin.

He noted that while energy players are navigating significant global headwinds, hundreds of megawatts of renewable energy (RE) capacity remain stalled across the region, awaiting grid connections or regulatory approvals.

“Navigating these issues will require deep delivery expertise and resilient partnerships. But perhaps the biggest challenge of all is talent,” he said in his keynote address entitled 'Unlocking RE for ASEAN,' at the ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF) 2025 here, today.

Chin said the unprecedented scale and speed of the energy transition has created a global competition for skilled professionals.

“We need more engineers, more project managers, more technical scientists, and a larger skilled workforce to build and maintain these assets. 

"The availability of skilled people is the single biggest factor limiting growth,” he added.

On the sector's potential, he cited the International Energy Agency which stated that ASEAN alone will account for 25 per cent of the increase in global energy demand between 2024 and 2035. 

Towards this end, he said Gamuda Engineering, which ventured into the industry three years ago, has expanded its capabilities beyond building megastructures to now developing large-scale solar, wind, battery storage, and transmission projects across the region.

"Today, we have the privilege of building the largest solar, wind and battery hybrid plants in several Australian states, as well as critical transmission infrastructure such as the Marinus Link, which connects Tasmania and Victoria,” he said. 

"We are also the largest independent power producer (IPP) involved in hydroelectric energy in Malaysia, and we are currently constructing the Ulu Padas hydroelectric dam in Sabah," he said.

The Ulu Padas hydroelectric dam project is led by its parent company, Gamuda Bhd, Sabah Energy Corporation and Kerjaya Kagum Hitech JV and it is expected to commence by end-2030.

-- BERNAMA