The relationship between energy and the environment has always been one of mutual dependence – rivers sustain hydropower, mangroves protect coastal infrastructure, and ecosystems help sustain the natural resources upon which electricity generation depends on. Across the world, utility operators have recognised that caring for nature is part of their mission to power nations and continue to embrace a responsibility that extends beyond keeping the lights on.  

Today, leading companies are finding new ways to protect and restore the very landscapes that support their operations, recognising that the future of reliable energy and the health of the natural environment are intrinsically linked. For Southeast Asia, the region remains one of the most biodiverse in the world, and as Member States navigate rising energy demand and a changing climate, utilities are taking the responsibility to actively embed environmental stewardship into the way they plan, build, and operate their infrastructure.  

This same mindset extends into the way electricity networks are planned and built. Expanding transmission infrastructure has long posed challenges for forest conservation, but power companies around the region are exploring ways to reduce those impacts before construction even begins.  

When engineering meets ecology 

In some forested locations, taller transmission towers allow power lines to span above the canopy, reducing vegetation clearing below

In Malaysia, national utility Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) has deployed technologies such as the Tree Hyperspectral Identification System (THySIS), a remote sensing technology specifically for hyperspectral imaging, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), and artificial intelligence. This enables engineers to identify endangered tree species and environmentally sensitive areas during the planning stage, allowing routes to be adjusted wherever possible. In some forested locations, taller transmission towers allow power lines to span above the canopy, reducing vegetation clearing below. 

Elsewhere, harmonious co-habitation can take a very different form. TNB’s Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Power Station (SJSSAA) in Kapar, Klang, is a major 2,200 MW power plant that also serves as a crucial high-tide roosting sanctuary for millions of migratory waterbirds. The ash pond areas within SJSSAA were first identified as an important roosting site for waterbirds as early as 1988, with subsequent scientific studies, including surveys commissioned by TNB and conducted by Wetlands International, confirming the site’s ecological value. 

Every year between August to April, its ash ponds provide a vital flat, open resting, and feeding pitstop for up to 40 species traveling the East Asian–Australasian Flyway. Beyond providing sanctuary for migratory birds, TNB also adapts its operations based on updates from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN) to minimise impact in sensitive areas, including elephant movement corridors. These efforts are increasingly being brought together under the TNB 2026 Biodiversity Roadmap, which takes a more systematic approach to managing biodiversity across its operations. 

How Thailand gives nature a second life  

Across the border in Thailand, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) has similarly embedded biodiversity management across its project lifecycle, from planning and environmental assessments through to long-term operations.  

In Lampang Province, the Mae Moh power plant and lignite mine have historically been the cornerstone of Thailand’s fossil-fueled power supply. Industrial operations of this scale typically leave deep scars on local geography. However, EGAT’s aggressive land reclamation project is turning the site into an admirable ecological case study. Instead of leaving depleted mining terrain barren, EGAT is converting over 640 hectares into a thriving forest ecosystem. 

This rehabilitated area today functions as an ecological corridor for wildlife. Surveys have recorded 63 plant species and 105 animal species (including various amphibians, birds, and mammals) making it their home, many of which are tracked on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The restored forest has successfully sequestered over 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, turning a heavy industrial footprint back into a carbon sink and public nature park. 

The same sense of stewardship can be seen around EGAT’s hydroelectric facilities. At Srinagarind Dam in Kanchanaburi, environmental programmes extend into the forests and watersheds surrounding the reservoir. Conservation programmes around Srinagarind Dam also contribute to hornbill habitat protection, alongside mangrove restoration initiatives and community activities that encourage younger generations to take part in caring for local ecosystems.   

A legacy of stewardship in Japan 

Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) owns roughly 40% of the Oze National Park, one of Japan’s most important wetland ecosystems, including around 70% of its Special Protection Area. TEPCO’s relationship with Oze, however, began with energy rather than conservation. The land was inherited in the early 20th century from a predecessor electric power company that had plans to develop its water resources for electricity generation.  

When those plans were abandoned, TEPCO retained the land and took on a long-term stewardship role to protect the national assets. For more than half a century, TEPCO has worked with local partners to conserve and restore the landscape. This stewardship has become increasingly important as Oze’s growing popularity in the early 1960s brought large numbers of visitors into its fragile wetlands.  

At Ayamedaira, a high-altitude wetland within Oze, heavy foot traffic destroyed vegetation and leaving around one hectare of wetland barren. Since then, TEPCO began installing wooden paths from 1964 to guide visitors away from sensitive areas and preventing further damage. Today, these wooden paths have become an integral part of Oze’s landscape, allowing visitors to explore its natural beauty without placing further pressure on the wetland. 

This model is also a first-of-its-kind: Oze National Park was split off from Nikko National Park in 2007 to become its own independent national park, making it a pioneer model in Japan for private utility and government co-management of protected ecosystems.  

Biodiversity built in: Lessons from Spain  

In Europe, Spanish utility Iberdrola has similarly made biodiversity management part of the lifecycle of its infrastructure, covering everything from design and construction to operation and decommissioning. Its 2030 Biodiversity Plan aims for a net positive impact on biodiversity by 2030, using the mitigation hierarchy of avoiding, minimising, and, where necessary, compensating for impacts. 

Its work includes monitoring birds and bats around wind farms, protecting species such as the Bonelli’s eagle, rescuing and relocating fauna during power-line construction, and restoring habitats around renewable energy facilities. These measures extend further to reduce bird electrocution risks on its electricity networks, including technologies that detect birds and deter them from approaching higher risk parts of the infrastructure.

Iberdrola’s case illustrates how, as renewable energy expands, biodiversity considerations do not disappear simply because the electricity is “green”. Wind farms, solar installations, and transmission lines still occupy landscapes and interact with wildlife. The challenge is therefore to make the energy transition itself more nature-friendly. 

Nature-inclusive energy transition 

Protecting biodiversity is no longer seen solely as a responsibility after infrastructure has been built, but as an essential consideration from the earliest stages of planning through to day-to-day operations. While every landscape presents its own challenges, utilities are increasingly finding ways to work alongside nature, whether by restoring habitats, conserving rivers, redesigning infrastructure or partnering with local communities.  

In doing so, they are demonstrating that the path towards reliable, affordable energy does not have to come at the expense of the natural world. Instead, the strongest and most resilient energy systems may well be those that recognise that when nature thrives, so too does the infrastructure that depends upon it.