Indonesia’s Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif said ASEAN member countries have great abundance of renewable energy potential that is predicted to reach 17 thousand Gigawatts, and can be used for realizing the clean energy and net zero emissions (NZE).
According to a statement received on Sunday, ASEAN has already developed the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) to encourage renewable energy transition to realize the NZE.
The short-term target of the action plan is realizing a total of 23 percent of renewable energy mix in total primary energy supply as well as 35 percent of renewable energy in power plant capacity in ASEAN member countries by 2025.
Meanwhile, the medium-term target of the action plan is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in each ASEAN country according to their respective nationally determined contributions by 2030, while the long-term target is realizing the NZE by 2050, he noted.
Indonesia would encourage all ASEAN member countries to jointly declare the commitment to the NZE target at the 41st ASEAN Ministers of Energy Meeting (AMEM) in August 2023.
The sustainable energy transition was also one of the discussions at the 42nd ASEAN Summit held on May 9-11 in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province.
During its 2023 ASEAN chairmanship, Indonesia emphasized on energy transition issues to achieve sustainable energy security.
The issues will be addressed through a number of pillar programs, namely ASEAN Power Grid (APG); Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline (TAGP); Coal and Clean Coal Technology; Energy Efficiency and Conservation; Renewable Energy; Regional Energy Policy and Planning; as well as Civilian Nuclear Energy.
In addition to that, state-run oil and gas company Pertamina would also actively contribute to endeavors to achieve the NZE target in accordance eith the aim of Indonesia’s ASEAN chairmanship, Pertamina President Director Nicke Widyawati said.
As quoted from the study of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) in 2022, Pertamina,in June 2021, had set a target of reducing oil-based fuels by 64 percent by 2023.
Pertamina has also set target of increasing the mix of natural gas and renewable energy by 19 percent and 17 percent respectively in 20231.—Antara News
