ASEAN broadening collaboration on power, LNG investments
Published Oct 29, 2018 12:00 am
By Myrna M. Velasco
SINGAPORE – Investments in power generation as well as broadened rollout of liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities shall be the key focus of collaboration of member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to dovetail forward energy sector pathway of this vital regional economic bloc.
36TH ASEAN MINISTERS ON ENERGY MEETING – Gracing the opening of the 36th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) in Singapore are (from left): Suy Sem, Minister of Mines and Energy, Cambodia; Dr. Arcandra Tahar, Vice Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia; Dr. Khammany Inthirath, Minister of Energy and Mines, Lao PDR; Yeo Bee Yin, Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment & Climate Change, Malaysia; U Win Khaing, Union Minister for Electricity and Energy, Myanmar; Alfonso Cusi Secretary of the Department of Energy, Philippines; Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry, Republic of Singapore; Dr. Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Republic of Singapore; Dr. Siri Jirapongphan, Minister of Energy, Thailand; Dang Hoang An, Vice Minister of Industry and Trade, Vietnam; Dato Mat Suny Hussein, Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry, Brunei; Dato Lim Jock Hoi Secretary-General, ASEAN Secretariat; and Dr. Sanjayan Velautham, Executive Director, ASEAN Centre for Energy. (Photo courtesy: Ministry of Trade and Industry Singapore)
In his keynote speech at the opening of the 36th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) here, Singapore Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing noted that “to ensure that ASEAN is able to live up to its economic potential and promise to its people, we will need to work towards ensuring affordable, sustainable and reliable energy access for all.”
Philippine Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi was among the ASEAN ministers who joined his Singaporean counterpart in the event – his problems of which are parallel to what his peers are also experiencing and have been trying to address in their respective countries.
Meanwhile, Chan acknowledged that for the energy ministers in the region, “this will not be easy,” as he highlighted that “investments in power generation capacity and infrastructure will be needed to meet ASEAN’s energy demand.”
As he emphasized, the region’s energy demand had so far grown by as massive as 60-percent in the past 15 years; and that was projected by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to “continue to grow by another two-thirds by 2040.”
Alongside the aspirations of each country to meet their respective energy demand, Chan emphasized that “innovative solutions are also needed to supply energy across ASEAN,” as he stressed that “65 million people in Southeast Asia currently still do not have access to electricity.”
On the flourishing LNG investments in the region, gas supply flow channeled through pipelines is among the regional partnerships being pushed among ASEAN economies.
Further, installations of LNG import terminals have likewise been rapidly building up, as this is among the options being embraced by countries in the region on their aspirations for cleaner energy future.
“For the Trans-ASEAN gas pipeline, six ASEAN member-states have been successfully connected through over 3,600 kilometers of cross-border natural gas pipelines as of July this year,” Chan indicated.
For LNG, he noted that eight LNG regassification terminals have been built with a total capacity of 36 million tonnes per annum.
In tandem with power and LNG investments, the Singapore trade official contended that the renewable energy (RE) space is another area that the region must be focusing on when it comes to enticing investments.
“Further efforts are needed to scale up the deployment of renewable energy to reach ASEAN’s aspirational target of 23-percent share of renewable energy in our energy mix by 2025,” Chan stressed.
He emphasized that “enabling policy and investment frameworks would also help to facilitate the energy transition and find a balance between renewables and fossil fuels.”
36TH ASEAN MINISTERS ON ENERGY MEETING – Gracing the opening of the 36th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) in Singapore are (from left): Suy Sem, Minister of Mines and Energy, Cambodia; Dr. Arcandra Tahar, Vice Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia; Dr. Khammany Inthirath, Minister of Energy and Mines, Lao PDR; Yeo Bee Yin, Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment & Climate Change, Malaysia; U Win Khaing, Union Minister for Electricity and Energy, Myanmar; Alfonso Cusi Secretary of the Department of Energy, Philippines; Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry, Republic of Singapore; Dr. Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Republic of Singapore; Dr. Siri Jirapongphan, Minister of Energy, Thailand; Dang Hoang An, Vice Minister of Industry and Trade, Vietnam; Dato Mat Suny Hussein, Minister of Energy, Manpower and Industry, Brunei; Dato Lim Jock Hoi Secretary-General, ASEAN Secretariat; and Dr. Sanjayan Velautham, Executive Director, ASEAN Centre for Energy. (Photo courtesy: Ministry of Trade and Industry Singapore)
In his keynote speech at the opening of the 36th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) here, Singapore Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing noted that “to ensure that ASEAN is able to live up to its economic potential and promise to its people, we will need to work towards ensuring affordable, sustainable and reliable energy access for all.”
Philippine Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi was among the ASEAN ministers who joined his Singaporean counterpart in the event – his problems of which are parallel to what his peers are also experiencing and have been trying to address in their respective countries.
Meanwhile, Chan acknowledged that for the energy ministers in the region, “this will not be easy,” as he highlighted that “investments in power generation capacity and infrastructure will be needed to meet ASEAN’s energy demand.”
As he emphasized, the region’s energy demand had so far grown by as massive as 60-percent in the past 15 years; and that was projected by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to “continue to grow by another two-thirds by 2040.”
Alongside the aspirations of each country to meet their respective energy demand, Chan emphasized that “innovative solutions are also needed to supply energy across ASEAN,” as he stressed that “65 million people in Southeast Asia currently still do not have access to electricity.”
On the flourishing LNG investments in the region, gas supply flow channeled through pipelines is among the regional partnerships being pushed among ASEAN economies.
Further, installations of LNG import terminals have likewise been rapidly building up, as this is among the options being embraced by countries in the region on their aspirations for cleaner energy future.
“For the Trans-ASEAN gas pipeline, six ASEAN member-states have been successfully connected through over 3,600 kilometers of cross-border natural gas pipelines as of July this year,” Chan indicated.
For LNG, he noted that eight LNG regassification terminals have been built with a total capacity of 36 million tonnes per annum.
In tandem with power and LNG investments, the Singapore trade official contended that the renewable energy (RE) space is another area that the region must be focusing on when it comes to enticing investments.
“Further efforts are needed to scale up the deployment of renewable energy to reach ASEAN’s aspirational target of 23-percent share of renewable energy in our energy mix by 2025,” Chan stressed.
He emphasized that “enabling policy and investment frameworks would also help to facilitate the energy transition and find a balance between renewables and fossil fuels.”