Brunei Darussalam’s efforts in climate change include reducing carbon emissions from the energy sector through more efficient power generation, deployment of renewable technologies and addressing venting and flaring from oil and gas production, as detailed in the Brunei National Climate Change Policy launched in July. The country is also exploring the potential of Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) to mitigate industrial emissions from the oil and gas sector.
This was shared by Minister of Energy Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mat Suny bin Haji Mohd Hussein at the 3rd East Asia Energy Forum yesterday.
The forum, held via video conference, was jointly organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, the Economic Research Institute of ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), and the Energy Research Institute Network (ERIN) as part of the ASEAN Energy Business Forum 2020. This year’s forum was themed ‘Role of CCUS/Carbon Recycling in ASEAN/East Asia’ and focussed on the role of the clean energy technology in tackling the global climate challenge.
Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mat Suny was one of five ministerial officials who delivered a video message. The forum was kicked off by Director of the Department of Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development and Head of Energy Efficiency Office, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam Phuong Hoang Kim. ASEAN Secretary General Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi delivered the opening address.
The forum highlighted that ASEAN member states must tackle the challenge of climate change, by not only penetrating renewable energy, but also through promoting the use of CCUS/carbon recycling.
The minister shared that the United Nations Environment Programme’s 2019 Emissions Gap Report indicated that by 2030, emissions would need to be reduced by 25 per cent from 2018 levels to ensure global warming remains below two degrees. Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mat Suny stated that CCUS technology can potentially play an important role in decarbonising the energy sector, especially as the ASEAN region continues to consume fossil fuels such as natural gas to meet growing energy demand.
The East Asia Energy Forum is an annual forum held back-to-back with the ASEAN Ministers of Energy Meeting (AMEM) and the ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF). The forum is annually participated by energy ministers, government officials, research institutes and private sector representatives from ASEAN member states and dialogue partners. The conference aims to raise awareness on the latest trends in the ASEAN and East Asia energy market, with an objective to champion regional energy security and sustainability targets under the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2016 – 2025.
