ASIATODAY.ID, KUALA LUMPUR – The Asia Natural Gas and Energy Association (ANGEA) and the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) have entered into a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enhance acceleration of energy transition development and strengthen energy security in Southeast Asia, particularly through the development of natural gas, methane emissions management, power market and Carbon Capture Utilisation and/ or Storage (CCU/S) initiatives.
The MOU was signed at the 3rd South East Asia CCS Accelerator (SEACA) workshop in 27 – 28 August in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the upcoming country to hold the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025.
The MOU intends to support the regional energy blueprint document- the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC). Under the APAEC, multiple energy programme areas and strategies are charted to accelerate energy transition while strengthening energy resilience, to be conducted by the ASEAN countries’ Sectoral Energy Bodies/Sub-Sector Networks, with the strong support of ACE, and assistance of International Organisations and Dialogue Partners- in which natural gas, power, CCU/S and implicitly methane emissions are part of the blueprint’s focus.
With the current development of the new APAEC Post 2025, this MOU paves the way for ACE to strengthen its natural gas, methane emissions, power sector and CCU/S initiatives through the newly formed collaboration with ANGEA. This collaboration will potentially include the conduct of capacity building, knowledge sharing, or development of various studies on the natural gas market, policy and infrastructure, methane management, modelling of the power market, and CCU/S projects, especially regarding carbon accreditation frameworks.
CEO Paul Everingham said ANGEA and its member companies were delighted to be working closely with one of Asia’s most respected energy organisations.
“There is strong synergy between the work ACE undertakes to facilitate integrated and sustainable energy solutions in ASEAN and the reasons why ANGEA was created in 2021,” Everingham said.
“Both organisations have a strong commitment to supporting countries in their efforts to balance economic growth with progress on climate ambitions. “Access to affordable and available LNG will be central to Southeast Asian nations achieving this balance and developing the region’s import capabilities will be a core aspect of this MOU.
“It’s fitting that the signing ceremony coincided with an event focussed on carbon capture and storage (CCS), given the role this technology will play in Southeast Asia’s energy transition and the strong programs of work ANGEA and ACE are undertaking to accelerate the development of CCS.”
Beni Suryadi, Deputy Executive Director of ACE, further emphasised the rising importance of natural gas as a bridge fuel for energy transition, regional power trading to promote clean and renewable energy integration, CCU/S to strengthen regional energy security while pursuing cleaner energy sources, and methane emissions mitigation in tackling climate change in short time.
“Considering the role of natural gas as the bridge fuel for energy transition, the ASEAN Energy Outlook highlights the significant growth in natural gas demand, with projections indicating consumption will reach 32.91 Mtoe in 2025 and 71.42 Mtoe in 2050.”
Furthermore, Suryadi hoped that “the cooperation between ACE and ANGEA [can] continuously expand for years to come, producing fruitful and concrete initiatives to advance ASEAN’s energy transition and strengthen energy security towards a sustainable low-carbon economy.”
This MoU therefore underscores the commitment of both ACE and ANGEA in advancing sustainable energy solutions that align with the economic and environmental goals of ASEAN member states. By working together, both organisations are poised to make significant strides in ensuring energy security and accelerating the region’s transition to a low-carbon future. (AT Network)
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