On Monday, 21 November 2022, the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Insitut Teknologi Bandung (ITB). The ceremony took place in Bandung (Indonesia) and broadcasted via the Zoom Webinar platform. The collaboration between ACE and one of the leading universities in Indonesia is expected to support the implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) Phase II: 2021 – 2025, specifically Renewable Energy (RE) and Regional Energy Policy and Planning (REPP) Programme Area.(The MoU Signing Ceremony between ACE and ITB *From left to right: (1) Mr Praptono Adhi Sulistomo. Coordinator of New and Renewable Energy Investment and Cooperation, Directorate General of Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia, (2) Mr Huang Cheng, Director of ASEAN China Cooperation Fund, (3) Dr. Nuki Agya Utama, Executive Director of ACE, (4) Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ir. Widjaja Martokusumo, University Secretary of ITB, (4) Mr Saiful Hakim Abdul Rahman, Director Strategic Planning Division, SEDA Malaysia).The MoU was signed by Dr Nuki Agya Utama, Executive Director of ACE and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ir. Widjaja Martokusumo, University Secretary of ITB, and witnessed by Mr Praptono Adhi Sulistomo, Coordinator of New and Renewable Energy Investment and Cooperation, Directorate General of Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources of Indonesia, Mr Huang Cheng, Director of ASEAN China Cooperation Fund, and Mr Saiful Hakim Abdul Rahman, Director Strategic Planning Division, SEDA Malaysia.

Dr Nuki Agya Utama opened the ceremony by emphasising the strong alignment of ACE-ITB cooperation with the sub-theme of APAEC Phase II (2021 – 2025): to accelerate the energy transition and strengthening energy resilience through greater innovation and collaboration, especially amid the post-COVID19 economic recovery and the ongoing energy crisis due to Russia-Ukraine conflict. Through this remarkable partnership, he was in good faith that “various science-based research, publications, and dialogues will be borne and are utilised well as critical references for energy policy development in ASEAN.”

Also, in the ceremonial remarks, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Ir. Widjaja Martokusumo conveyed the importance of engagement with industry and government partners to provide innovative technological solutions, policy planning, capacity building and research studies for clean energy. He also expressed his honour on ITB’s behalf for this strategic partnership’s contribution to the implementation of APAEC Phase II. He hoped that the upcoming collaborative activities between ACE and ITB could be translated into actionable steps to achieve the regional RE targets of 23% in total primary energy supply and 35% in total installed capacity.

After the signing, the dissemination workshop of the ASEAN Solar PV+ Utilisation Study took place with the launching ceremony of the report “Innovative Solar PV Utilisation to Support the Green Economic Recovery in ASEAN.” It is followed by keynote presentations and panel discussions regarding the outlook of RE development and related cooperation in ASEAN. The workshop was expected to deliver some key findings of the study and gather insights into the integration and application of solar PV in different manufacturing sectors from government officials, academes, and public utilities.

The recording of MoU signing ceremony can be found here.