The 38th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Energy (SOME 38) was held online on August 24 under the chair of Hoang Tien Dung, Director of the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Electricity and Renewable Energy Authority with a view to reviewing a host of activities and prepare for the forthcoming 38th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM).

The 38th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Energy (SOME 38) is held online (Photo:VNA) 

The event drew the participation of representatives from ASEAN member states, the ASEAN Centre for Energy, the International Energy Agency (IEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and partner countries such as China, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and the US.

Participants reviewed implementation results during 2016-2020 of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) for 2016-2025, cooperation between the bloc and its dialogue partners and international organisations, and the hosting of the 38th AMEM in November.

They agreed that ASEAN members and international organisations should work hand in hand to finalize contents in the second phase (2020-2025) of the APAEC towards sustainability, adding the necessity of  finishing the 6th ASEAN Energy Outlook to supplement this phase.

They also underscored the completion of plans from the Heads of ASEAN Power Utilities/Authorities (HAPUA) and the ASEAN Power Grid Consultative Committee (APGCC) for better regional integration and multilateral electricity trade within the bloc.

The completion of the first and second phases of the ASEAN Interconnection Masterplan Study (AIMS) III is crucial for making suggestions about necessary power transmission infrastructure for multilateral electricity trade and for the integration of renewable energy into the ASEAN grid, they said.

The goals set for related intra-bloc collaboration this year include reaching a high-level agreement among member states on the study of a mechanism for mobilising private funds to serve the building of ASEAN’s power transmission infrastructure.

An array of related meetings are set to transpire from August 25 to 27, including the 11th dialogue between SOME and IEA and the 2nd dialogue between SOME and IRENA.