ACE Joins Southeast Asian Energy Players Call for Progressive Approach to Methane Emissions

ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) alongside the signatories, Ministry of Mines and Energy Cambodia, PT Pertamina (Persero), PETRONAS, Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise, Philippine National Oil Company, Singapore LNG Corporation Pte Ltd, and the PTT Public Company Limited have released a Joint Statement at the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) to call for a progressive, collaborative, and inclusive approach to methane emissions reduction in ASEAN’s energy sector as part of a just energy transition which puts nature, people lives and livelihoods at the heart of climate action.

Through the Joint Statement, the signatories acknowledge the urgent need for sustainable climate action and believe that significant accomplishments can be delivered by 2030, as part of wider energy transition efforts and will:

1. Develop activities in support of the Paris Agreement goals, also recognising that national circumstances require tailored approaches.
2. Proactively advocate for a just and inclusive energy transition through meaningful dialogues, that align with the climate aspirations set by governments to drive targeted, tangible, properly accounted, and scalable emissions reduction that considers the broader impacts of the energy transition.
3. Collaborate across the Southeast Asian energy value chain to champion innovative solutions on methane emissions management, as well as strengthening measurement, monitoring, reporting, verification and mitigation measures, wherever possible.
4. Establish a Southeast Asian oil and gas sector methane emissions baseline, as early as 2025, informed by internationally recognised practices, to be followed by a quantifiable collective methane emissions reduction ambition by 2030.
5. Share practices and the region’s progress on decarbonisation and methane emissions through the ASEAN Council on Petroleum (ASCOPE).

ACE have also taken steps to support ASEAN countries in their methane emissions abatement journey, including the development of the region’s first public Oil and Gas Methane Emissions Dashboard under the Methane Abatement Towards Sustainable Petroleum Industry (MAESTRO) Program with the World Bank Group, and building the capacity and knowledge on methane management through the ASEAN Energy Sector Methane Leadership Program (MLP) with the U.S. Agency for International Development Southeast Asia Smart Power Program (USAID SPP).

With the release of the Joint Statement, ACE and the signatories encourage relevant stakeholders from across the broader Southeast Asian energy ecosystem to join their efforts to drive industry leadership and position the region as a progressive methane emissions reduction leader. Moreover, as mandated by the ASEAN Energy Ministers during the 42nd ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) on 26 September 2024, to welcome more methane emissions abatement initiatives in the energy sector.

Read the full Joint Statament here. (AT Network)

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