Energy ministers from 18 East Asian nations on September 26 issued a
joint statement on the importance of fostering regional cooperation to
improve energy security and access as their nations are forecast to
consume 70 percent of the world’s energy by 2035.
The
statement was issued at the seventh East Asian energy ministers’ meeting
in Bali, Indonesia. A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Minister of
Industry and Trade Le Duong Quang attended the event.
The
ministers called for all necessary steps to improve energy efficiency,
promote the use of renewable energy and develop necessary infrastructure
in a transparent manner.
They hailed the 2013-2014 energy
efficiency and conservation (EE C) programme and Japan’s proposal
on smart energy which, according to them, is crucial to improve energy
efficiency in the future.
Participants shared the view that it
is necessary to further study the potential of renewable energy and the
bio-fuel market in the region as well as encourage their use in
transport and other fields.
To push forward regional energy
security, they appealed for the sharing of medium-and long-term
prospects of energy supply-demand in the region, especially among the
ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), the International Energy Agency, the
Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and concerned
sides.
On the occasion, a new study on the sustainable fuel
market in the region was launched. The ERIA was also assigned to report
the outcomes of its studies and cooperation schemes to the future ASEAN
and East Asian States energy cooperation forums.
According to
ministers, low-carbon technology is extremely important. They exchanged
their views on market mechanisms, technology transfer, and
public-private partnership in the field.
The meeting lauded Japan’s proposal to hold an energy summit next year, with the participation of the private sector.
The eighth meeting will be held in Laos next year.-VNA