Can South-east Asia’s energy transition survive a transactional world?
Asean energy ministers meeting should look beyond Iran war and confront a much bigger geopolitical challenge
AT THE 44th Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting (Amem) happening in Manila from Monday (Oct 5) to Friday, one immediate issue likely to loom large is the impact of the Iran crisis on South-east Asia’s energy security.
The Iran war has pushed energy security higher up Asean’s agenda, prompting calls for coordinated responses, faster regional energy trade and renewed attention to the Asean Petroleum Security Agreement (Apsa).
The region’s dependence on Middle Eastern energy has driven sharp increases in petrol, diesel, aviation fuel and electricity prices. Across Asean, reliance on coal has increased, alongside fossil fuel subsidies.
