ASEAN Energy Ministers meet in Phnom Penh

The meeting is to discuss issues on energy efficiency, electricity connectivity and green energy in the bloc.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Le Duong Quang led the Vietnamese delegation to the event.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Cambodian PM Hun Sen highlighted the significance of the meeting’s theme of "ASEAN Green Connectivity," which focuses primarily on energy production and consumption.

PM Hun Sen said that the meeting would further enhance solidarity among ASEAN member states to work together to realize the region’s joint goals.

"It is also contributing to expediting the full integration of ASEAN by 2015," he added.

He said that energy security is still one of the major challenges for ASEAN, calling on the ASEAN Energy Ministers to focus on developing renewable energy such as hydropower, wind power, solar energy, biomass and biogas as well as biodiesel in order to build a green energy region for the group. 

PM Hun Sen also pointed to civilian nuclear energy as an important source of energy, elaborating that such source of energy requires highly developed technology to prevent possible dangers it may cause.

In his welcoming speech, Cambodian Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Suy Sem said that besides the 30th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting, there will be the ASEAN Ministers on Energy meeting with International Energy Agency, the 9th Meeting of Energy Ministers of the ASEAN Plus Three countries (ASEAN, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea), the 6th East Asian Summit Energy Ministers Meeting, and the ASEAN Energy Business Forum and the dialogue of the ASEAN-US Business.  

Scheduled for September 12-13, these meetings are expected to speed up the realization of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation in the 2012-2015 period./.

By Kim Loan

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