Rahul Agrawal coverage in Infrastructure Investor: Regulation: Rewriting the rules in APAC

Rahul Agrawal, Partner, Energy Infrastructure at Actis, contributed to Infrastructure Investor’s article about how decarbonisation-friendly legislation is boosting infrastructure investment across the Asia Pacific region. Click here to read the full article online or click here to read it in the digital issue of the print magazine. Read below for a snapshot of Rahul’s commentary.

Rahul Agrawal, Partner, Energy Infrastructure at Actis, commented:

“You need to create a whole new country of power projects, effectively. It is clear that that power needs to come from renewable sources, and these countries also realise they need more flexible baseload power in addition (such as gas which is much cleaner than coal). In addition, thankfully, with the cost curve coming down for renewables and batteries there is no longer a question as to whether or not these make sense. That was a big question a few years ago.

“It was clear from the start their ambition and from their first power auction they made it clear how it would work, laying out all the rules and guidelines. A strong framework was put in place that allowed investors like us to invest behind that – that certainty allowed us to put together a team, get to know the market, secure land, etc. You can do that when you know future auction will happen and as patient, long-term investors that is very important for us.

“While India has had a lot of success here, it still requires a lot more investment and other countries specially in southeast Asia have been slow to adapt due to the cheap and plentiful coal resources they have.

“Singapore does not have a lot of landmass, and hence they plan to source renewable energy from elsewhere in Indonesia and Malaysia. Singapore requires 24/7 power, and you can get that by effectively plugging the territory into a giant battery supported by plentiful solar power.”

Disclaimer

The statements made by Rahul Agrawal herein regarding how decarbonisation-friendly legislation is boosting infrastructure investment across the Asia Pacific region are as of 6 May 2025 and represent the views of Actis which is not research and should not be treated as research.

Market view: General discussions contained in this article regarding the market or market conditions represent the view of either the source cited or Actis. Such information is not research and should not be treated as research and is included in order to provide a framework to assist in the implementation of a recipient’s own analysis and a recipient’s own views on the topic discussed. Moreover, there is no assurance historical trends will continue. Historic market trends are not reliable indicators of actual future market behaviour or future performance of any particular investment which may differ materially and should not be relied upon as such. Nothing contained herein is intended to predict the performance of any investment. There can be no assurance that actual outcomes will match the assumptions or that actual returns will match any expected returns.