Asean ministers call for collaboration on energy security

Manila Times
October 7, 2014 9:39 pm
by RITCHIE A. HORARIO

THE energy ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) are calling for continuous collaboration among the member states to promote regional energy security and sustainable development.
According to the Department of Energy (DOE), during the 32nd Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) in Vientiane, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), in September, the ministers also pushed for a stronger engagement with the private sector.
The ministers also sought to strengthen dialogues with partners and the international community to realize the energy sector’s priority objectives.
According to the DOE, the energy ministers from the 10 member states noted the progress in implementing the different program areas of the Asean Plan of Action on Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2010-2015.
The plan of action seeks to achieve greater regulatory convergence toward energy sector integration in realizing the Asean Economic Community (AEC).
At the same time, the energy ministers look forward to the successor of the five-year APAEC for the period 2016-2020.
This would contribute to the development of the post-2015 Vision for AEC with the theme “Enhancing energy connectivity and market integration in Asean to achieve energy security, accessibility, affordability and sustainability for all.”
The ministers also discussed progress of key initiatives such as the development of the Asean Power Grid (APG), Trans-Asean Gas Pipeline (TAGP), Asean Forum on Coal (AFOC), Energy Efficiency and Conservation Sub-sector Network (EE&C-SSN), as well as the Renewable Energy Sub-sector Network (RE-SSN), Regional Energy Policy and Planning Sub-sector Network (REPP-SSN), Nuclear Energy Cooperation Sub-sector Network (NEC-SSN) and Energy Regulators’ Network (AERN), all of which are relevant to building the greater Asean economic integration.
The Asean was established to promote economic growth and joint prosperity in the region. The member countries include Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. source