Photo 1. Head of Delegates Group Photo  

The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) organised the 28th Energy Efficiency and Conservation – Sub Sector Network (EE&C-SSN) Meeting of the ASEAN Energy Cooperation, hosted by Department of Energy Efficiency and Promotion (DEEP), Ministry of Energy and Mines, Lao PDR. the 28^th EE&C-SSN meeting, held on 17 May 2024, concluded a series of meetings convened from 14–17 May 2024 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Vientiane, Lao PDR. 

Brought together representatives from ASEAN Member States (AMS), invited Dialogue Partners (DPs) and International Organisation (IOs), ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC), and ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), the meeting aimed to review the current status, provide an update on progress, and discuss strategies for achieving the milestones of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) Phase II: 2021-2025 for Programme Area No. 4: Energy Efficiency and Conservation (EE&C). 

Photo 2. Chair of the 28th EE&C-SSN Meeting, Mr. Christopher (left), Ms. Santisouk (center), Ms. Apiradee (right) 

The meeting commenced with an opening remark delivered by Ms. Santisouk Phimphachan, Acting Director General, Department of Energy Policy and Planning, Alternate Senior Officials on Energy (SOE) Leader of Lao PDR. Apiradee Thammanoma, Director of Strategy and Planning Division, Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency (DEDE) of Thailand, as EE&C-SSN Coordinator and chair of the meeting also provided a brief remark, followed by remarks by Christopher G. Zamora, Senior Manager of APAEC Department at ACE. 

Photo 3. Christopher G. Zamora (left) and Rio Jon Piter Silitonga (right) as presenters 

The morning meeting involved discussion among representatives of eight (8) AMS from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, along with ACE and ASEC. Christopher G. Zamora, Senior Manager of APAEC Department at ACE, shared the outcomes and follow-up requirements from last year 27^th EE&C-SSN meeting and other ASEAN meeting. Khammanh Sopraseurth, Deputy Director General Department of Energy Efficiency of and Promotion, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Lao PDR, as BOJ Chair, reported the outcomes and recommendations of the Final Board of Judges (BOJ) Meeting of the ASEAN Energy Efficiency and Conservation Awards 2024, conducted on 14 May 2024. The next presenter was Rio Jon Piter Silitonga, Senior Officer of Energy Efficiency and Conservation (CEE) Department at ACE, to report the outcomes and recommendations of the ASEAN EE&C Workshop, held on 15 May 2024.  

Photo 4. Muhammad Indra (left) and Dr. Zulfikar (right) as presenters 

The next agenda of morning meeting aimed to review the outcome-based strategies and annual priorities for EE&C-SSN under APAEC phase II: 2021-2025, also discussed the progress and updates on EE&C projects and cross-sectoral initiatives. The speakers for this session coming from the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC), Muhammad Indra Wahyudin, Officer of Energy and Mineral Division, and two representatives from ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE), namely Dr. Zulfikar Yurnaidi, Manager of MPP Department and Acting Manager of CEE Department and Rizky Aditya Putra, Senior Officer of APAEC Department at ACE. 

Photo 5. 28^th EE&C-SSN Meeting Participants 

The invited IOs and DPs from the Energy Conservation Center, Japan (ECCJ), International Energy Agency (IEA), Korea Energy Agency (KEA), Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and United Nations Environment Programme-United for Efficiency (UNEP-U4E), joined the afternoon meeting to share the update progress on the ongoing cooperation activities with ASEAN. The meeting wrapped up by closing remarks delivered by Apiradee Thammanomai and Khammanh Sopraseurth, followed by an announcement from Malaysia to host the next 29th EE&C-SSN Meeting and its associated meeting in 2025. 

Photo 6. 28^th EE&C-SSN Meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Vientiane, Lao PDR