Asean ministers discuss cleaner energy

THE opening ceremony for the 34^th Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) and its Associated Meetings took place on September 21, 2016 at the Myanmar International Convention Centre II (MICC II). The ceremony also commemorated the launching of the Asean Energy Business Forum 2016.

U Pe Zin Tun, Minister of Electricity and Energy of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, Chair of 34^th Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting was the guest of honour at the ceremony that was attended by Asean Energy Ministers, as well as the Ministers of Asean Dialogue Partners, according to a statement from Energy and Industry Department at the Prime Minister’s Office (EIDPMO) of Brunei Darussalam.

The 34^th AMEM and its Associated Meeting took place in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar where Brunei Darussalam was represented by the Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hamdan bin Haji Abu Bakar on behalf of the Minister of Energy and Industry at the Prime Minister’s Office.

Asean Ministers of Energy gathered for a two-day meeting with the theme ‘Towards Greener Community with Cleaner Energy’. The heads of the Asean delegation also paid a courtesy call to Second Vice President U Henry Van Thio of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

2016 marks the start of the implementation of the new Asean Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2016-2020 cycle. The meeting focused on the progress of energy cooperation with the 7 APAEC programme areas, namely Asean Power Grid (APG), Trans-Asean Gas Pipeline (TAGP), Asean Form on Coal (AFOC), Energy Efficiency and Conservation Sub-sector Network (EE&C-SSN), Renewable Energy Sub-sector Network (RE-SSN), Regional Energy Policy and Planning Sub-sector Network (REPP-SSN) and Nuclear Energy Cooperation Sub-sector Network (NEC-SSN), all of which contribute to the goals of the Asean Economic Community.

Deputy Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hamdan bin Haji Abu Bakar with other Asean ministers in a group photo. – EIDPMO

At the 34^th AMEM, Brunei reported its activities as the Chairman of the Asean Energy Regulators’ Network (AERN). Brunei reaffirmed AERN’s commitment to ensure its effective contribution and support for the realisation of the Asean Power Grid in order to strengthen the region’s energy security.

During the 10^th East Asia Summit (EAS) Energy Ministers Meeting, the ministers discussed and exchanged views on the world energy situation and energy security challenges in the East Asia region as well as cooperation to address these challenges.

In the 13^th AMEM+3, the energy ministers further discussed the global and regional challenges such as volatile oil prices, energy security and adverse impact on climate change.

The Asean+3 cooperation in energy focuses on enhancing energy connectivity and market integration to achieve energy security, accessibility, affordability and sustainability for the region.

At the 10^th EAS EMM, Brunei reported on the progress of one of the fora’s work stream on Renewable and Alternative Power Generation (RAPG) as Co-Chair with the United States of America. It was established in 2013. The work stream presented to the meeting the ‘Geospatial Toolkit’ which was developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory of the USA. This tool can be used to identify the most climate-resilient areas for hydro, wind and solar power with the East Asia Region. The simulation tool can be used by policymakers and project planners in the EAS member countries to analyse potential sites for climate significant concerns. This toolkit is free and available online at https://maps.nrel.gov/hydro-cc.

The Energy Research Institute Network (ERIN), chaired by the Brunei National Energy Research Institute (BNERI), supports the work of the EAS EMM through its collaborative studies with the Economic Research Institute for Asean and East Asia (ERIA). For the period of 2015-2017, ERIA and ERIN activities will focus on four studies, including the BNERI’s study on the development of Eco-Town Model in Asean. The eco-town project has increased BNERI’s profile in the EAS region.

The key outcome that transpired from the meetings was the firm commitment of Asean member states, dialogue partners and international agencies in enhancing regional cooperation in the energy sector. The 35^th AMEM and Related Meetings will be hosted by the Philippines in 2017.

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