The Vietnamese PM Nguyễn Tấn Dũng made the statement when attending and addressing the opening ceremony of the 28th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM 28), meetings with dialogue partners, and the ASEAN energy business forum on July 22 in Đà Lạt City, Lâm Đồng Province. The main theme of AMEM 28 is "Energy and Climate Change."

According to the PM, AMEM 28’s important tasks are to put forth new initiatives to foster energy cooperation among ASEAN members, to define priorities and efforts to implement cooperative deals practically and effectively, and discuss with partners about energy-related issues.

He said that the meeting should focus on closer cooperation to ensure energy security for ASEAN and connect climate change combat with effective energy use.

Climate change has become one of big challenges of the world and ASEAN. Cooperation to research and develop energy sources, solutions to deal with climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emission should be closely connected with measures to ensure energy security, trade development, investment and cooperation among ASEAN members and with the bloc’s partners, the PM said.

Seven measures for energy cooperation and climate change combat

To this end, the PM proposed seven following solutions.

First, to strengthen research activities, speed up projects on linking trans-ASEAN electricity and gas systems, implement the ASEAN oil and gas security agreement, encourage the effective use of energies to help ensure energy security and environment protection;

Second, to accelerate trade and investment cooperation in the field of applying and transferring clean coal technology among ASEAN members and with partners to meet the increasing demand for the fuel;

Third, to further close cooperation on using renewable energies at large and medium scales, striving to raise the proportion of these energies in the total consumption to 15% in 2015 and higher in following years;

Fourth, to assist the development of the regional energy market, research and apply new feasible and effective technologies, and put forth new projects according to the clean development mechanism (CDM);

Fifth, to step up cooperation in making regional energy plans and policies to ensure energy demand and supply balance, oil and gas exploitation, processing, transport and distribution, as well as environment protection, while considering the possibility of using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes as a sustainable energy substitute with little emission;

Sixth, to build up cooperative plans on developing low-carbon economies among ASEAN members, and between them with partners and the international community; and

Seventh, to enhance dialogues and cooperation among businesses and governments to realize targets in the ASEAN action plan on energy cooperation.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the AMEM 28 draws some 500 foreign attendants, including ministers of the 10 ASEAN countries, Japan, the Republic of Korea, China, India, New Zealand and Australia, and about 100 Vietnamese state and corporate officials.

The meeting is to focus discussions on the 2010-2015 ASEAN energy cooperation program and the 2010-2015 ASEAN plan of action for energy cooperation (APAE) adopted by AMEM 27 in July 2009 in Myanmar.

At the meeting, the delegates are paying special attention to the possibility of linking the ASEAN power grid and the Greater Mekong Sub-region power grid.

Besides, energy cooperation between ASEAN and partners will be discussed.

By Ngọc Vân