The ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) and Energy Conservation Center Japan (ECCJ) co-organised the Inception Meeting of ASEAN-JAPAN Energy Efficiency Partnership (AJEEP) Programme on 3-4 August 2023, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam and supported by DEDE Thailand as the EE&C-SSN Coordinator.

The ASEAN Japan Energy Efficiency Partnership (AJEEP) is a programme under ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Energy – Ministry of Trade, Economy, and Industry of Japan (SOME-METI) Work Programme 2023 – 2024 to promote Energy Efficiency & Conservation (EE&C) by assisting ASEAN Member States in developing and establishing respective legal/policy framework, strengthen organisation and focal points’ capability and technological assistance, also to enhance awareness of EE&C in ASEAN.

As highlighted by Dr. Nuki Agya Utama, Executive Director of ACE on the importance of AJEEP Programme, “ASEAN-Japan EE&C cooperation has been conducted for more than 20 years and will continue to support the implementation of the APAEC Phase II: 2021-2025 in accelerating energy transition and strengthen energy resilience through grater innovation and cooperation”, the Meeting was attended by all 10 ASEAN Member States to discuss the updates and progress on AJEEP Scheme 4, Scheme 5, and Energy Conservation Workshop under AJEEP (ECAP).

Under AJEEP Scheme 4, which focuses on the development of the Sustainable ASEAN Energy Management Certification Scheme (SAEMAS), ACE and ECCJ with EE&C-SSN focus for this fiscal year is to develop the SAEMAS common standard module and advanced modules, considering AMS existing management modules. The ultimate goal is to cultivate a cadre of qualified energy managers who possess the skills and knowledge to operate effectively across borders within the ASEAN region.

Meanwhile, under Scheme 5 which aims at capacity building on policy and technology towards carbon neutrality for building, transport, and industry sector, ACE together with ECCJ will implement the carbon neutrality diagnosis at the selected factory and building. The diagnosis aims to plan long-term carbon neutrality targets, identify energy loss, and suggest energy-saving methods.

Another topic discussed was ECAP programme which intends to enhance cooperation between Japan and ASEAN in energy efficiency and conservation and narrow the capacity gap for energy conservation among ASEAN Member States (AMS). Workshops on the ECAP programme are targeted for personnel from government, public organizations, and non-profit organizations with a focus on the development of SAEMAS (ECAP30), EE&C in industry sector (ECAP31), and building sector (ECAP32).

With the thorough two-day discussion to map out the way forward and future action items established under AJEEP Scheme 4, 5, and ECAP, the AJEEP 2023 – 2024 Programme is expected to further assist AMS in strengthening its efforts to achieve the 32% energy intensity reduction by 2025 based on 2005 levels, as set under the APAEC Phase II, of which 24.5% has been achieved in 2021.