At the Eighteenth ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) in Ha Noi in July 2000, the Ministers recognized that the expeditious implementation of the trans-ASEAN energy network consisting of the ASEAN Power Grid and Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline (TAGP) Projects would significantly enhance economic integration in ASEAN.

Experts’ task forces/working groups have been established to carry out the technical and economic studies for these two ASEAN energy infrastructure projects. A Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline (TAGP) Task Force had been organized in November 1999 under the ASEAN Council on Petroleum (ASCOPE). An ASEAN Interconnection Masterplan Study (AIMS) Working Group had also been formed in April 2000 under the Forum of Heads of ASEAN Power Utilities/Authorities (HAPUA) to undertake the masterplan study for the ASEAN Power Grid.

Natural gas development is accorded high priority by ASEAN energy officials. The Eighteenth ASEAN Energy Ministers Meeting emphasized the need to synergize the gas pipeline development with the power development plans of ASEAN member countries and to integrate the national gas systems with the regional network.  Considerable progress has been made in the preparation of the Masterplan of the Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline Project. The TAGP is being pursued gradually through stepwise integration of the national gas pipeline infrastructure projects among the ASEAN member countries, to ensure greater energy supply security in the region. The initial draft of the TAGP Masterplan Study was completed in October 2000 and will be finalized by the end of 2001.

The TAGP Task Force identified seven new possible gas interconnections covering a length of 4,200 kilometres with total investment requirements of US $ 7 billion. Cross-border issues addressed by the TAGP Task Force include energy/gas market reserves, supply and demand; economic feasibility and energy/gas pricing; technical, scheduling and gas pipeline and power grids routing; and institutional, legal, financial/commercial and management frameworks. The TAGP Task Force agreed to work jointly with the respective HAPUA counterparts for a firm policy on power sector energy mix. 2001. ASCOPE has taken the initiative to forge an ASEAN “Memorandum of Understanding” to expedite the implementation of the TAGP.

Cambodia and Myanmar became new members of the ASCOPE family at the Council Meeting in Singapore in April 2001. ASCOPE cooperation has also been intensified in the areas of exploration and production, processing and refining, trading and marketing, and technology and services, through its Business Development Committees by way of task forces and bilateral and multilateral cooperation. ASCOPE will have its next conference and exhibition in Kuala Lumpur in November 2001.

Among the ten ASEAN member countries, power interconnections presently exist in four, namely between Laos and Thailand, Thailand and Malaysia, and Malaysia and Singapore.  The other bilateral interconnection projects are either in the stage of pre-feasibility or feasibility study.  The ASEAN Interconnection Master Plan Study (AIMS) Working Group, chaired by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), will formulate an ASEAN Interconnection Master Plan that will facilitate economic generation and transmission of electricity, enhance security of power system and provide opportunities for future energy trading among ASEAN member countries.  The study will cover a period of up to 2020.  Regulatory and commercial aspects will also be addressed to determine the trading of electricity, through mechanisms, such as the proposed ASEAN Power Pool and bilateral arrangements. 

The Master Plan Study for the ASEAN Power Grid is expected to be completed by early 2002.  The final report will be submitted to the HAPUA in April 2002 and to SOME/AMEM meetings in July 2002.  The HAPUA has agreed in principle on the formation of a joint venture company to undertake implementation and provide equity investment in ASEAN interconnection projects.

ASEAN forged strong partnerships with the European Union and Japan in the implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation 1999-2004. The first SOME-MITI (Japan) Consultations was held in Ha Noi in June 2000, to pave the way for closer cooperation between ASEAN and Japan in the energy sector. The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) of Japan endorsed a joint work program for 2000-2001, with a total program budget of US$ 671, 000. The two projects, which cover Energy Security Planning and Promotion of Energy Efficiency and Conservation (in Buildings, Industries and Bio Mass Waste), are to be completed this year. The SOME-MITI projects are collectively implemented by the ASEAN Centre for Energy, the Department of Energy Development and Promotion of Thailand, Pusat Tenaga Malaysia and by the Japan Institute of Energy Economics and Energy Conservation Centre.

In coal cooperation, the Charter on the Establishment of the ASEAN Forum on Coal (AFOC) was signed in Jakarta in May 2000. AFOC consists of companies or institutions involved in the coal business (producers, consumers and traders) in ASEAN and ASEAN government agencies responsible for and involved in the coal sector. AFOC National Committees had already been established in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand. AFOC organized a Conference on Coal for Energy Security in the ASEAN Region in December 2000 in Jakarta, where investment needs for coal trade and the use of clean coal were discussed.

ASEAN launched the annual ASEAN Energy Awards for Energy Efficient Buildings. The objectives of this annual activity are to recognize outstanding achievements in efficient energy, to publicize ASEAN innovation and progress in energy efficiency and promote adoption of modern energy efficiency practices and procedures. The awards cover two building categories: new and existing and retrofitted buildings.  The Revenue House of Singapore and EGCO Building of Thailand were the Winner and Runner-Up, respectively, of the First ASEAN Energy Awards held at the Eighteenth AMEM.

ASEAN member countries continued to exchange technical information on policies, projects and plans on their respective renewable energy sector. An Internet-based information network at the ACE Homepage (http://www.ace.or.id) amongst five countries (Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) is in place under the Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources in Southeast Asia (PRESSEA) Project. This is said to be the world’s first electronic network in the field of renewable energy. Information available includes key policy issues and initiatives; planned and current utilization; opportunities and barriers; list of projects; list of business contacts and major players in the renewable energy sector.

The ASEAN Centre for Energy(ACE) managed the Joint ASEAN Minihydro Programme under technical cooperation with Switzerland and Germany, EC Energy Program on the Promotion of Renewable Energy Sources in Southeast Asia (PRESSEA), the SOME-MITI Energy Work Program and the AAECP Phase III: Energy Policy and Systems Analysis Project. ACE had an active presence in information media through the ASEAN Energy Bulletin and the Internet via the ACE Homepage with a thousand pages of information on the ASEAN energy sector.