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  Straits Times 25 Aug 07
Environment Building lives up to its name
It wins green award for reducing power bills, cutting out CFCs after renovation
By Tania Tan & Arti Mulchand

Yahoo News 24 Aug 07
Renewable energy can save East Asia two trillion US dollars in fuel costs

Straits Times 24 Aug 07
Asean nations ink pact to build regional power network
$26b grid will start with bilateral projects which will form basic elements of platform
By Jessica Cheam

Today Online 24 Aug 07
Pact paves way for shared trans-regional power grid
Sharon Vasoo and Jason Lee

Today Online 24 Aug 07
Greenpeace: No safety sureties for 'Ring of Fire'

Today Online 24 Aug 07
Trust us on nuclear plan: Thais
New Asean network to look into nuclear safety
Sharon Vasoo and Jason Lee

Business Times 24 Aug 07
Ministers sign MOU for Asean power grid
Move a first step towards market for members to freely trade electricity
By Matthew Phan

Channel NewsAsia 23 Aug 07
ASEAN energy ministers sign MOU to set up power grid network in region

Channel NewsAsia 23 Aug 07
Singapore urges ASEAN partners to tackle energy, climate issues

SINGAPORE : Singapore is urging its ASEAN partners to tackle issues of energy security and climate change. Speaking at the ASEAN Energy Meeting in Singapore on Thursday,

Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar outlined four key areas for the region's energy priorities.

One area is to adopt and encourage energy efficiency so as to help cut energy needs.

Another critical area is the development of a competitive regional energy market. This will hopefully mean better access to energy supplies and the transfer of new energy technologies.

Prof Jayakumar believes investing in R&D will also reduce CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions. But he said ASEAN countries must also promote a clean environment and find ways to protect forests, rivers, lakes and air quality.

With Singapore taking over the ASEAN chair recently, he said energy and climate concerns will feature in themes for upcoming summits.

"ASEAN's continued growth and prosperity hinges upon managing the competition for resources through cooperative efforts such as joint exploration and development of energy resources, more integrated markets, and sharing of expertise and technology," said Prof Jayakumar, who is also the Law Minister and the Coordinating National Security Minister.

"Although the challenges are immense, they are not insurmountable if we can strengthen our cooperation, so that the region as a whole can benefit," he added. - CNA /ls

Channel NewsAsia 23 Aug 07
ASEAN energy ministers sign MOU to set up power grid network in region

SINGAPORE : ASEAN countries have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a power grid throughout the 10-member grouping. This network will be part of ASEAN's strategy to have energy market integration.

Currently, such links are only on a bilateral basis. It's also hoped the power grid will allow ASEAN countries to optimise energy resources.

During the energy meet in Singapore on Thursday, ASEAN energy ministers agree that with economic progress in the region, the need for energy demand will also increase.

But there is a fine balance too when it comes to environmental protection. The key to reducing CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions will be energy efficiency, such as greener buildings that cut energy usage.

"What we'll be doing is try to manage the amount of energy used in day to day lives through appliances, building efficiencies, vehicular efficiencies and so on. These will have a substantial impact if they can be effectively followed through. That will yield significant benefits for all the economies," says S Iswaran, Minister of State for Trade & Industry.

The search for alternatives to fossil fuel will be another focus.

In balancing the need for energy demand and the care of the environment, the use of nuclear power the ministers say, is now a viable option.

Vietnam, for example, is about seven years away from its goal of having nuclear energy. And with that in mind, ASEAN is setting up a framework to look into nuclear issues.

"Nuclear is now coming back, there are probably about 30 nuclear plants under construction worldwide. If you are really concerned about global warming, I believe that nuclear is an option that should not be ignored," said Dr Piyasvasti Amranand, Thailand's Energy Minister.

"It would be totally irresponsible for any government to ignore nuclear because I do not believe that energy conservation or renewable energy alone can solve and reduce the emission of green house gases, " he added.

The ministers also stressed that these are but a range of options available. CNA /ls

Yahoo News 24 Aug 07
Renewable energy can save East Asia two trillion US dollars in fuel costs

Shifting to renewable energy could save countries in East Asia as much as two trillion US dollars in fuel costs over the next 23 years, or more than 80 billion dollars annually, environmental group Greenpeace said Thursday.

A shift from oil and coal could also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 22 percent in the same period, it said in a report released to coincide with a meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) energy ministers here.

Globally, investing in renewable energy -- geothermal, hydro, wind and solar power as well as biomass and biofuels -- would save countries 180 billion dollars a year and slash carbon dioxide emissions in half by 2030, Greenpeace said.

Carbon dioxide sent into the atmosphere has been blamed as a major contributor to climate change. While upfront investment costs are higher for renewable energy, the long-term savings are greater, Greenpeace said.

Athena Ballesteros, Greenpeace International Asia regional climate campaigner, said investment costs for new power plants in East Asia projected by the International Energy Agency (IEA) would total 490 billion dollars between 2004 and 2030.

Under Greepeace's scenario, investment costs on renewable energy would amount to 556 billion dollars over the same time frame. However, fuel costs in the IEA projections would cost 6.3 trillion dollars over a 23-year period.

But if East Asian states shifted to renewable energy, fuel costs over the same period would total 4.2 trillion dollars, translating into savings of 2.1 trillion dollars, Ballesteros said at a news briefing.

"Our report shows that by employing massive energy efficiency, it makes economic sense to shift to renewable energy," she said. "By incorporating fuel costs into the picture, investing in renewable energy now is a better long-term option."

However, Southeast Asian energy ministers and officials from China, Japan and South Korea who joined them later at a meeting in Singapore on Thursday indicated that shifting would not be easy.

In a joint communique issued after their one-day meeting, they said that with robust economic growth, the region's demand for oil "will continue to increase, especially in the transportation sector."

They also "recognised that coal will play an important role in the regional energy supply," in sharp contrast with Greenpeace's position calling for a moratorium on the building of new coal-fired plants.

They acknowledged efforts of some countries to explore the peaceful use of nuclear energy and encouraged dialogues to discuss more viable nuclear technologies.

Greenpeace had urged the ASEAN energy ministers to scrap plans to harness civilian nuclear energy and focus resources on developing renewable sources that are abundant in the region.

ASEAN members Indonesia and the Philippines have among them the biggest geothermal resources in the world, Greenpeace said.

The environmental group welcomed statements by new ASEAN chair Singapore that it will include climate change as a key issue during its one-year chairmanship.

It said the city-state "has a unique opportunity to lead ASEAN leaders" to draw up an action plan that can help address the problem. But the 10-member ASEAN should "set ambitious and legally binding" targets and implement strict energy efficiency standards, among others, Greenpeace's Ballesteros said.

ASEAN members have committed to increase the share of renewable energy in power generation to 10 percent by 2010.

Business Times 24 Aug 07
Ministers sign MOU for Asean power grid
Move a first step towards market for members to freely trade electricity
By Matthew Phan

(SINGAPORE) Asean ministers have taken a tentative first step towards interconnecting power grids through the region, and have acknowledged that some Asean countries plan to explore the use of nuclear power.

An international power grid is a necessary first step to an integrated energy market in which members will be able to freely trade electricity from diverse sources, Singapore's Minister of State for Trade and Industry, S Iswaran, said yesterday at a news conference after the 25th Asean Ministers on Energy meeting in Singapore.

'If the networks are not connected, then talking about aligning market structure and incentives is not really a relevant discussion,' Mr Iswaran said. 'Once they are linked there is impetus on the technical and economic level.'

The ministers have signed an MOU to standardise technical specifications and operating procedures, after which each country can look at privatising its energy market, Thailand's Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand said.

Then, 'in 20 to 30 years you could see a competitive power market like in the EU or the US'.

The idea of an Asean power grid surfaced as early as 2002, with plans to build a trans-Asean gas pipeline.

But Mr Iswaran said yesterday that several elements must be put in place, such as mutual understanding on prices and the circumstances in which one country could sell energy to another.

There is also a need to identify projects the private sector can undertake, so it is better to see the grid as an evolving network than the result of a single plan, he said.

Dr Piyasvasti said Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia have 'fairly clear plans' to build nuclear power plants, though it will take time to develop manpower and find sites - about 7 years in Thailand's case - before construction can start.

'If you are concerned about global warming, nuclear is an option that should not be ignored,' he said. It would be 'irresponsible' to do so, as conservation efforts will be inadequate and greenhouse gas emissions will have to be curbed in other ways.

On nuclear safety fears, he said 'nuclear power plants are the safest kind of buildings in the world' and advanced techniques mean today's plants cannot be compared with Chernobyl, which melted down in 1986.

Dr Piyasvasti said: 'Singaporeans shouldn't be too concerned about nuclear plants in neighbouring countries, because if something like Chernobyl happens, then we will die first.'

During the ministerial meeting, major gas producers and consumers including Singapore acknowledged 'mutual dependence', and 'countries with high capital' were urged to explore joint ventures with gas producers to develop reserves.

Mr Iswaran said upstream producers need downstream consumers, and Singapore could spell out its needs to gas producers to help them calculate whether certain investments would be worthwhile.

Asked if Singapore would purchase gas reserves overseas, he said it was up to private companies to decide. The ministers also agreed to promote efforts on energy efficiency and the use of alternative sources like solar, wind and biofuels. But they have 'not agreed on any target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions', Dr Piyasvasti said.

Today Online 24 Aug 07
Trust us on nuclear plan: Thais
New Asean network to look into nuclear safety
Sharon Vasoo and Jason Lee

Bangkok yesterday gave its strongest assurance to date that Thailand's nuclear power programme, which may see atomic plants in operation from 2020, would be completely safe, and would include stringent safeguards against possible attacks.

"I don't think any of our neighbours have to worry about safety," Thai Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand said in an interview in Singapore as ministers from around the region met to address energy policy.

"Steps would have to be taken to tackle this." Dr Piyasvasti added: "Obviously, if anything goes wrong, it will affect the Thai people first, so all the more it is something we'd make absolutely sure the power plants are safe."

The Thai guarantee came as the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) agreed to set up a nuclear safety network. At yesterday's one-day meeting, ministers from the 10-member grouping ordered officials to work out details of the arrangement.

Singapore Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar told the gathering that civilian nuclear power was among the sources of energy that "interested parties" were considering, to ensure secure supplies of power to fuel growth.

"While countries seek to diversify their energy mix in order to enhance their energy security, it is important they also pay attention to developing alternative energy sources that are clean," Mr Jayakumar said.

Thailand is the latest Asean country to announce nuclear energy plans. Indonesia and Vietnam, also Asean members, have said they also hope to use the technology by 2020.

However, several other Asean members have expressed concern about safety and security, especially after the July 16 quake in Japan, which caused a leak at the world's biggest nuclear plant, forcing an indefinite closure.

Singapore has led calls for more discussion and cooperation in the area of nuclear energy. Dr Piyasvasti gave assurances that the Thai government would not rush the project.

In fact, Bangkok will spend seven years developing safety standards and training the necessary personnel. A further six years would be needed after that to complete construction.

The Thai government has not decided on the location of the plant, he added. But earlier reports said Ranong, Chumphon and Surat Thani — all located next to the sea in order to supply cooling water to the as-yet-unbuilt plant — are possible sites. The armed forces recently offered Sattahip naval base in Chon Buri as a venue if other sites faced opposition, but the offer could not be confirmed.

Dr Piyasvasti dismissed the possibility that insurgents may strike at the nuclear facility. Citing the example of the United Kingdom's struggle against the Irish Republican Army in the 1970s and 1980s, when the terror group attacked civilian and military targets, he said: "The insurgency situation in Thailand has never got anywhere as bad as Northern Ireland. The scale is completely different."

He added: "Walking around in Bangkok is safe ... in fact, a lot safer than in Washington."

Energy issues will be a key focus of discussions when leaders return here for the 13th Asean summit from Nov 19 to 22.

Today Online 24 Aug 07
Greenpeace: No safety sureties for 'Ring of Fire'

Environmental group Greenpeace urged South-east Asian energy ministers yesterday to scrap plans to harness civilian nuclear power for the region, citing safety concerns and weapons proliferation risks.

"It is a dangerous and costly choice to secure energy in the region because nuclear power plants pose risks in the long term," said Ms Nur Hidayati, a climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace South-east Asia.

"Our region is very dynamic — geographically we are located around the Pacific 'Ring of Fire' and we are also the meeting point of several major tectonic plates," she went on. "You cannot guarantee the safety of the nuclear power plant in this volatile region."

Greenpeace activists also said the region does not have the expertise and the trained personnel to operate nuclear power plants, and warned of the dangers that plutonium — a key ingredient for making a nuclear bomb — could get into the wrong hands.

Greenpeace said Asean states also lacked experience in storing and disposing of radioactive wastes. — Agencies

Today Online 24 Aug 07
Pact paves way for shared trans-regional power grid
Sharon Vasoo and Jason Lee

Energy ministers from the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) yesterday took a concrete step towards ensuring the 10-member group is more plugged in.

Meeting in Singapore for a day to review Asean-wide developments in the power sector, they agreed to conclude a memorandum of understanding that will, in time, help to bolt together the region's different transmission networks.

The agreement should pave the way for establishing what is known as the Asean Power Grid, which could help countries share electricity across borders, boosting growth and providing greater security for consumers.

"While the development of a fully integrated Asean energy market is a still distant goal and will be a very long process, we have started to move in the right direction," said Professor S Jayakumar, Singapore's deputy prime minister. Yesterday's memorandum "provides the essential framework for us to bring the project forward", he said.

To date, the bloc has only two cross-border power connections: between Thailand and Malaysia, and between Malaysia and Singapore. Architects of the ambitious project hope the trans-regional grid could see a web of connections across Asean, switching power between nations that have abundant energy, to those that are in need.

"The agreement is a critical first step…it shows that there is government support for the initiative," said Mr S. Isawaran, Singapore's minister of state for trade and industry. When the project takes off, he added, the next stage would be to identify areas where the private sector can come in.

The ministers also noted progress in the finalising of a new Asean Petroleum Security Agreement, which is seen as an important mechanism to deal with petroleum shortages. They hoped to sign the pact next year, replacing the 1986 agreement. —

Straits Times 24 Aug 07
Asean nations ink pact to build regional power network
$26b grid will start with bilateral projects which will form basic elements of platform
By Jessica Cheam

ASEAN energy ministers yesterday made a major move towards achieving an integrated power grid connecting all the countries in the grouping. The ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Asean Power Grid that will tie all 10 Asean countries into the ambitious project.

'This is a critical first step. All the governments of Asean are now committed to this,' said the Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Mr S.Iswaran. This mega-grid will start with bilateral projects, which will form the basic elements of the entire regional grid architecture to be built, added Mr Iswaran, who chaired the 25th Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting at the Shangri-La Hotel yesterday. Singapore and Malaysia, for example, already have a connected power grid.

Yesterday's agreement will help create a common platform to coordinate and standardise the different grids across Asean, paving the way for the implementation of the regional network.

When the grid was first mooted in 2002, energy ministers estimated the entire grid to be ready by 2020 at a cost of US$17 billion (S$26 billion).

Developing competitive regional energy markets was one of the priorities highlighted by Deputy Prime Minister S.Jayakumar in his keynote speech at the meeting's opening yesterday.

With Asia now the world's fastest-growing economic region, he noted the importance of having 'competitively priced and reliable energy supplies'.

Prof Jayakumar also singled out issues such as energy efficiency, seeking alternatives to fossil fuels by investing in research and development, and sustaining a clean environment.

Nuclear power was also a hot topic and for the first time, Asean ministers established, in-principle, a body to explore safety issues. Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand have announced plans to tap nuclear energy in a bid to meet growing electricity needs and reduce dependence on oil and natural gas.

This has generated much debate, as some environmentalists believe the region may not have the expertise to operate such plants and deal with nuclear waste.

After the meetings yesterday, Thailand Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand said: 'It is inevitable that eventually, countries will have to come back to nuclear energy in a big way, otherwise it will be difficult to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.'

He added that it would be 'irresponsible for any government to ignore it' because energy conservation and renewable energy alone cannot reduce emissions significantly. But preparation for its infrastructure will take a long time, said Dr Piyasvasti, who estimates that it could be seven years before Thailand begins construction. Mr Iswaran said all the Asean countries were interested in the safety issues and the implications concerning nuclear energy.

Yesterday also saw the inaugural East Asia Summit Energy Ministers Meeting. This included participation from countries such as Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.

At the annual Asean Energy Awards held later, Singapore's Environment Building clinched top honours in the retrofitted building category.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY TANIA TAN

Straits Times 25 Aug 07
Environment Building lives up to its name
It wins green award for reducing power bills, cutting out CFCs after renovation
By Tania Tan & Arti Mulchand

PRACTISE what you preach. The Environment Building in Scotts Road has stayed true to its name - and won honours. The 20-year-old building clinched top honours in the retrofitted building category on Thursday at the Asean Energy Efficiency and Conservation competition.

Held at the Shangri-La Hotel - which was the 2002 winner in the same category - the awards saw winners from across the region showcasing their green architecture.

Managed by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR), the building's winning formula helped cut power bills by some 20 per cent since 2004, even with extra floor space: a savings of about $270,000 annually. This means that the $1.5 million investment pumped into the building's renovation between 2002 and 2004 will pay off within six years.

Improvements to the building included a complete overhaul of its central air- conditioning system, now chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-free. The new system also contains carbon dioxide sensors that track air quality within the offices, adjusting air output along the way.

Though the exercise was 'capital intensive', explained Mr Raymond Chan, MEWR's head of facilities and operations, it was 'worth it in the long run'. He hoped the win will spur other buildings to become 'greener' too.

The competition was held after the one-day Asean ministers' energy meeting, during which a memorandum of understanding to establish a power grid throughout the 10-nation grouping was signed.

A joint communique issued stated that regional demand for oil will continue to increase due to robust growth, and that coal will continue to play an important role in the region's energy supply. Nuclear power was an option, it added.

Environmental group Greenpeace has been pushing for a shift to renewable energy and for nuclear plans to be scrapped.

It released a report saying that shifting to renewable energy could save Southeast Asian countries as much as US$2 trillion (S$3.1 trillion) in fuel costs over the next 23 years. A shift from oil and coal would also cut carbon emissions by 22 per cent in the same period, it added.

Nuclear energy and coal are 'false and dangerous solutions', said Ms Athena Ballesteros, Greenpeace International climate and energy campaigner. Yesterday, Greenpeace issued a statement that slammed the region for paying 'lip service to the critical issue of climate change'.

The 'only positive move', it said, was the commitment to derive 10 per cent of the region's power from renewable energy sources by 2010.

'Wrong energy choices made now will take decades to overturn. We don't have decades,' it added.
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