Energy Secretary Sharon Garin on Wednesday cited the importance of closer coordination among the 11 ASEAN member states to ensure energy security.

Speaking at the joint opening ceremony of the 44th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting, its Associated Meetings and the ASEAN Energy Business Forum at the Philippine International Convention Center, Garin said the year showed what a closer community can achieve, pointing to how ASEAN governments jointly navigated the oil supply disruptions caused by the Middle East crisis.

“What I remember most is what ASEAN did next,” Garin said. “Ministers and officials began speaking with one another often and openly. Information moved quickly between capitals. Member States compared notes, exchanged their learnings, and looked first to their neighbors for ideas and support. Member States shared their resources with those who needed them most.”

This, she said, “is diplomacy at work.”

“It rarely makes the headlines, and it is a large part of why our region is holding steady,” she added.

As the home of 700 million people, Garin said ASEAN must ensure regional energy security, citing a report by the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) that forecasts the region’s energy demand to more than double its 2022 level.

“Energy security is a promise ASEAN makes to its people: that the energy they depend on will be there when they need it. Bringing that assurance to every community in ASEAN is the purpose of our work,” she said.

The Department of Energy (DOE) chief highlighted the importance of various energy measures agreed upon by ASEAN officials.

These include the operationalization of the Enhanced Memorandum of Understanding for the ASEAN Power Grid, the development of a framework for submarine cables, the Laos People’s Democratic Republic-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project, and the Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines Power Interconnection Project.

“I see an ASEAN growing more capable each year of meeting its own needs on (the) firm footing laid by diplomacy. The world’s markets will always be part of our story, but each member state is made stronger by belonging to a community of nations that look out for one another. Truly, Southeast Asia is stronger together,” she added.

In a related address during the 44th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting at the PICC earlier this morning, Garin said strengthened cooperation among ASEAN members will help cushion the impact of external issues — such as global oil supply disruptions — on the region and each member country’s economy.

“Each member state will continue to make its own choices according to its national circumstances, but there are challenges that we can weather more effectively together,” she said. (PNA)