The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) has co-organised the second workshop of the Southeast Asia Carbon Capture and Storage Accelerator (SEACA) with the Global CCS Institute (GCCSI) in Tangerang, Indonesia, on 20-21 November 2023, marking another milestone in the initiative’s mission to accelerate the commercial deployment of CCS in the ASEAN region. This workshop also builds on the success of the inaugural SEACA Workshop held in Bangkok, Thailand, in May 2023.  

SEACA acts as a collaborative platform uniting governments, multilateral organisations, the private sector, and CCS project developers to expedite the deployment of CCS as a crucial element in the region’s energy transition and climate change mitigation efforts.  

Dr. Nuki Agya Utama, Executive Director of ACE, welcomed participants, expressing gratitude to the Global CCS Institute for their significant collaboration in making SEACA a reality. He also acknowledged the Directorate General of Oil and Gas, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) of Indonesia, for hosting the event, underscoring their crucial role in promoting the deployment of CCS in the ASEAN region. 

Dr. Nuki highlighted that fossil fuels accounted for 82.9% of the energy mix, making it imperative to adopt emerging technologies to combat emissions from these fuels. The 7th ASEAN Energy Outlook projection further indicated the continued dominance of fossil fuels in the region’s energy mix by 2050. This underscores the necessity of CCS in securing the region’s energy supply and meeting climate ambitions. 

Addressing the distinctive characteristics of CCS and CCUS, Dr. Nuki underscored the need for tailored policy frameworks to initiate and accelerate the adoption of these technologies in ASEAN. He also stressed the importance of collaboration among all stakeholders, including governments, the private sector, policymakers, think tanks, etc, in order to drive more tangible progress in CCS deployment. 

Dr. Nuki also shared the ongoing development of the ASEAN CCUS Deployment Framework and Roadmap initiated through SEACA, which is set to outline action plans for regional climate milestones by 2024. 

The workshop brought distinguished guests and experts from all around the region, including Ir. Mustafid Gunawan M.E, Director of Oil and Natural Gas Program Development, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia, Alex Yelland, Director of Policy, Asia Natural Gas & Energy Association (ANGEA), and Dr. Belladonna Maulianda, Executive Director, Indonesia CCS Center (ICCSC). 

Following up on that, Suwanto, Senior Research Analyst of PFS Department at ACE presented the current status of CCS/CCUS development in the region, which also highlighted the ASEAN member states (AMS)’ direction during the 41st ASEAN Ministers on Energy (AMEM) in Bali, Indonesia last August.  

He shed light on the commitment of several AMS towards integrating CCS or CCUS into their national agendas. Notably, Indonesia has positioned high-impact mitigation actions such as CCS and CCUS at the forefront of its strategy for achieving sustainable development. Malaysia, through its recent launch of the National Energy Transition Roadmap in August 2023, has identified CCUS as one of the six pivotal energy transition enablers alongside energy efficiency, renewable energy, hydrogen, bioenergy, and green mobility. 

Singapore and Thailand, in their respective Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategies (LT-LEDS), have also recognised the potential of CCS and CCUS as negative emission technologies essential for supporting decarbonisation efforts within the energy sector. 

Addressing the regulatory landscape, he highlighted Indonesia’s progressive approach, citing the release of MEMR Regulation No. 2 of 2023. This regulation specifically focuses on implementing carbon capture and storage, as well as carbon capture, utilisation, and storage in upstream oil and gas business activities. The framework places responsibility on holders of oil and gas leases to take a lead role in developing and operating CO2 storage. 

As the dialogue continued, participants delved deeper into the details of ASEAN’s policies, regulatory frameworks and storage resources development during (a) the country presentations; (b) the CCS project developer, contributor and financier’ session; (c) panel discussion on transboundary movement of CO2, CCS legal and regulatory framework, and economics, finance and policy; (d) and roundtable discussion on geological storage development.