The 1^st Korea-ASEAN Forum on Energy Safety Policy was held in Incheon, Republic of Korea (South Korea) on 7 April 2016. The Forum was co-chaired by Mr. Jang Young Jin, General Director, Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE). The Forum–endorsed by the 12^th ASEAN+3 (China, Japan, South Korea) Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM+3) in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) last year–was attended by 20 delegates from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The purpose of the Forum is to contribute to the enhancement of national energy safety level and to prevent gas & electrical accidents.  For that purpose, delegates exchanged knowledge on the technologies of administration system, legal inspection & check-up system for construction, on maintenance and operation of gas and electrical facilities, as well as on systematic energy safety management policy execution.

Participants shared various topics during presentations: i) Proposal to Improve Integrated Energy Safety Management System; ii) Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline (TAGP) as aspiration for energy security in the ASEAN region; iii) Oil and Gas Business Perspective; iv) Energy Situation and The Safety Guideline in the Power Sector; v) Strategies and Initiatives on Energy Safety Management; vi) Safety Regulation for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) Plants and LPG distribution; vii) Licensing Regime for Electrical Installation; viii) Upstream and Downstream Gas Safety Management; ix) Cooperation Result in electrical and gas safety field; x) Suggestion on the Improvement of Energy Safety Management System; and xi) City Gas Industrial Status in South Korea.

The delegations from ASEAN Member States (AMS) and South Korea acknowledged the importance to improve integrated energy safety management system in the region. In this regard, the delegates reconfirmed their commitments to contribute to the improvement through various activities in the future, such as capacity building, as well as knowledge & experience sharing amongst countries. (SBS. Photo credit:  ACE)(Photo caption: Dr. Sanjayan Velautham, ACE Executive Director and Mr. Gu Hongbin, CREEI Deputy Director General with the joint publication. Credit: EPC).