Published
By Myrna M. Velasco
The Department of Energy (DOE) has partnered
with Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Mitsubishi
Research Institute, Inc. in tackling clean energy initiatives that are seen
applicable to the needs of the Southeast Asian bloc.
Through the government-private sector tandem on
Cleaner Energy Future Initiative for ASEAN (CEFIA), the two governments set the
goal on firming up closer collaboration “to help accelerate the development and
utilization of cleaner energy and low carbon technologies within the ASEAN
region.”
Inaugural discussions on such initiatives had
been concluded in Manila just recently, with the Philippine DOE taking the
lead.
Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi highlighted
the event as “significant for us in the ASEAN, as it has brought governments
and the private sector together in one setting, providing a venue for
multisectoral discussions on investment opportunities; industry innovations;
and energy project financing.”
Being at its crossroads into a much vaunted
energy transition landscape, the tracks of discussions are very much relevant
in the case of the Philippine energy sector; as well as neighbor-countries in
Southeast Asia.
As Cusi emphasized, “governments cannot stand
alone in sustaining a fully vibrant energy sector that is able to actively
contribute to a country’s robust economic growth.”
He accented the need for “bilateral and
multilateral dialogues,” especially among clusters and domains sharing the same
vision for a cleaner energy future.
The energy chief claimed that by far, the
Philippines already took strides “toward building a sustainable energy future”
– asserting that one significant step it has taken was supporting the
implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action on Energy Cooperation.
In the CEFIA forum in Manila, a bilateral meeting between Cusi and METI’s
Parliamentary Vice-Minister Shuji Miyamoto paved the way for discussions around
recent energy sector developments in both countries.
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