The 33^rd Heads of ASEAN Power Utilities/Authorities (HAPUA) Council Meeting was held on 17 May 2017 in Yangon, Myanmar. The Meeting discussed and agreed on the reports of the different HAPUA Working Group Committees: i) Generation & Renewable Energy; ii) Transmission/ASEAN Power Grid (APG); iii) Distribution and Power Quality & Reliability; iv) Policy Studies and Commercial Development; and v) Human Resources development.  The Meeting was attended by delegates from the 10 (ten) ASEAN Member States (AMS).  Also in attendance were representatives of the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), ASEAN Secretariat and HAPUA Secretariat.

Ms. Mi Mi Khaing, Director General – Department of Electric Power Planning, Ministry of Electricity and Energy of Myanmar chaired the Meeting and expressed her support towards the implementation of Lao- Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project (LTMS-PIP). The project is a regional effort to achieve energy security though the ASEAN Power Grid programme.

ACE as the implementing body of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC), supported HAPUA to ensure that the APG is well implemented. During the Meeting, ACE shared a brief presentation on preparation of 2018 APAEC Mid-Term Review and the ASEAN Energy Cooperation Report 2017. ACE has emphasised that the APAEC serves as a blueprint for better cooperation towards enhancing energy security, accessibility, affordability and sustainability under the framework of the AEC for the designated period. The timely implementation of the APG by HAPUA will boost APAEC achievement for 2017-2018. (SBS.  Featured photo credit:  MOEE of Myanmar)