Singapore-International Energy Agency (IEA) Ministerial Roundtable

Singapore and the International Energy Agency (IEA) will co-host the Singapore-IEA Ministerial Roundtable at SIEW on Tuesday, 25 October 2022. The theme of the Ministerial Roundtable is “Energy Security in a Low Carbon World”.

The world is currently facing a truly global energy crisis. This has captured the urgent attention of governments, but it also elevates the need for international cooperation between countries. As a principle, countries would need to work together to manage the current crisis. The IEA has provided extensive guidance to governments and consumers in this regard in recent months. However, today’s energy crisis must not distract from the urgent task of progressively decarbonising energy systems. The acceleration of low-carbon energy transition is ultimately the long-term solution to our energy security challenges.

Despite the demands of the current crisis, we need to continue to challenge traditional notions of energy security, which focus narrowly on oil and gas supply and price volatility. In the energy systems of the future, energy security will be much more holistic than this. For example, this will involve the ability to integrate high shares of renewables in power systems, and the availability of critical minerals for clean energy technologies and processes.

Southeast Asia is emerging to be a key player in the global energy transition. According to the IEA’s Southeast Asia Energy Outlook 2022, the region is one of the world’s fastest growing economies and several countries have announced ambitious climate plans which will lead to significant developments in clean energy, energy efficiency and energy access. That said, Southeast Asia continues to be dependent on global oil and gas markets and have been significantly impacted by record-high global energy prices. To mitigate the impact of volatile energy markets, countries would need to tap on solutions that can address both goals of accelerating energy transition and maintaining energy security and affordability.

The Singapore-IEA Ministerial Roundtable, with the theme of “Energy Security in a Low-Carbon World”, will facilitate discussion among ministers and energy thought leaders from Southeast Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region. The discussion will focus on (i) key short-term priorities in managing current crisis; (ii) the linkages and trade-offs between energy security and energy transitions over time; (iii) and collaboration needed to achieve an energy secure, people-centred low carbon future.

Roundtable speakers are invited to share their perspectives on the following topics:

• What are short-term solutions to mitigate the impact of the global energy crisis in your country/region?
• What are your domestic priorities in building a secure and green energy economy?
• How to realise green opportunities through technological innovation and partnerships?
• How to stimulate public and private investments in projects that promote energy security and energy transition?
• What are possible regional and global approaches to enhancing our energy security and accelerating energy transition?
  

Time (SGT)	Session
15:15 – 15:20 hrs	Welcome Remarks Dr Tan See Leng Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Republic of Singapore
15:20 – 15:30 hrs	Welcome Remarks Dr Fatih Birol Executive Director International Energy Agency (IEA)
15:30 – 16:20 hrs	Plenary Session: Energy Security in a Low Carbon World Speakers H.E. Arifin Tasrif Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Indonesia H.E. Tun Lean Secretary of State Ministry of Mines and Energy Kingdom of Cambodia H.E. Dr João Galamba Secretary of State for the Environment and Energy Portuguese Republic The Hon Shane Rattenbury MLA Attorney-General; Minister for Consumer Affairs; Water, Energy and Emissions Reduction; Gaming Australian Capital Territory Kaveh Zahedi Deputy Executive Secretary United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) Ngiam Shih Chun Chief Executive, Energy Market Authority Singapore Elizabeth Urbanas Deputy Assistant Secretary of International Affairs Department of Energy, United States Dr Akhomdeth Vongsay Director General, Department of Planning and Cooperation Ministry of Energy and Mines, Lao PDR Liang Ting Wee President, TotalEnergies Asia Pacific & Middle East - Marketing & Services Country Chair, Singapore TotalEnergies Audra Low Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director Clifford Capital Thomas Bueno CEO, EDF International Division, APAC EDF H.E. Nguyen Hong Dien Minister of Industry and Trade Vietnam H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi Secretary-General ASEAN H.E. Nagamine Makoto Parliamentary Vice Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Japan
16:20 – 16:30 hrs	Closing Remarks Dr Tan See Leng Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Republic of Singapore Dr Fatih Birol Executive Director International Energy Agency (IEA)