Online, 3 May 2021The Workshop on Nodal Network of Renewable Energy (RE) Research and Development (R&D) in ASEAN was held on Monday, 3 May 2021, by the ASEAN-German Energy Programme (AGEP) as a joint implementation between the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The event began with the master of ceremony, Ms Nella from ACE, as she invited H.E. Mr Victor Jona, Director-General of Energy, Ministry of Mines and Energy, Cambodia – Host Country, Mr Asdirhyme Abdul Rasib, Senior Undersecretary for Sustainable Energy, Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Malaysia (Chairman of Renewable Energy Sub-Sector Network), Mr Sergey Makartov, Principal Advisor, AGEP and Dr Nuki Agya Utama, Executive Director of ACE, to deliver the opening remarks, respectively.

The overview of AGEP and its activities delivered by Mr Rizky Fauzianto, Team Leader of AGEP, GIZ. After concluding its first phase in the first half of 2019, which aimed to promote regional cooperation and deployment of RE and Energy Efficiency & Conservation (EE & C) in ASEAN. AGEP is currently on its 2nd phase, aiming to strengthen ACE as a regional competence centre of excellence for sustainable energy from 2019 until 2022. The activities are also in line with Programme Area No. 4, 5 and 6 of the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) Phase II: 2016-2025. AGEP also actively provides information regarding energy updates on their official website and social media platforms, as mentioned by Ms Riezki Diah Setyana, Communication Advisor, AGEP.

The main event of the workshop divided into two sessions; Introduction to the Nodal Network of RE and R&D in ASEAN and the Key Partners and Potential Activities of RE R&D Network based on APAEC Phase II. Ms Silke Irmscher, Director of Culturenergy, took over the event as the moderator for both sessions.

A presentation started the first session about the concept note of RE R&D Nodal Network Framework by Mr Sandy Fajrian, Technical Officer, Modelling and Policy Planning Department, ACE. He shared the status of RE in TPES of ASEAN countries, which has achieved 14%. Meaning, there are still significant works to do in the remaining years to reach the APAEC target of 23% RE share by 2025. In nodal network, the potential activities are considered based on the specified objectives and needs, previous communication with partners, and current capacity of ACE; Database Development & Dissemination Activities, Joint Research/Proposal Development, Capacity Building and Workshop, Resource-sharing (peer-review, facilities, personnel exchange/secondment), and RE R&D Network & Funding.

Mr Buranond Kijwatanachai, Programme Officer, ASEAN University Network (AUN), carried on the next session by introducing AUN role in RE R&D Nodal Network. The AUN established to connect ASEAN Universities to share knowledge, practices and create a more inclusive ASEAN. More than five hundred talents are nurtured and derive an advantage in facilities and opportunities. The impacts are also significant, where it increases the awareness towards ASEAN, a lifelong learner in higher education, sustainable development of education, academic resource exchange, and the AUN secretariat’s services.

This session’s last speaker, Ir. Francis Xavier Jacob, Chairperson of Energy Work Group, ASEAN Federation of Engineering Organisations (AFEO), delivered a profile introduction of AFEO. Established formally in 1982 in Indonesia, AFEO now has ten countries that registered as a member. The organisations aimed to facilitate the mobility of engineers and engineering (including technologists and technicians) mobility within the ASEAN countries.

The 2nd session started by Ms Dynta Trishana, Technical Officer, APAEC Department – Business Development Unit, ACE, by delivering an introduction to Programme Area No. 5 – Renewable Energy: Action Plans and Activities under APAEC Phase II 2021-2025. APAEC is a series of guiding policy documents as a blueprint for better energy cooperation under the framework of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). Programme Area No. 5 itself has six outcome-based strategies and 16 action plans for the current phase.

The last topic for this session is the presentation and discussion with AFEO and AUN representatives on potential collaborations under the network with the specific topics by Ir. Alex Looi Tink Huey, Energy Working Group Committee Member, AFEO and Ms Naparat Phirawattanakul, Senior Programme Officer, AUN. The discussion from Ir. Alex conveyed the action plan from AFEO to support biofuel and bioenergy development for enhanced sustainability as one of the plan’s priorities. In 2021, discussions on biofuel and bioenergy guideline standards for ASEAN initiates.

At the end of the session, Mr Rizky Fauzianto asked what kind of suggestions to make the nodal network more sustainable and encourage universities and private companies to use it. Ir. Alex responded that to expand sustainability, we need to work very closely between AFEO for private sectors and the AUN for the university sector to engage the relationship between the ASEAN Member State (AMS) stakeholders.

At the end of the workshop, Mr Septia Buntara, Manager of AGEP, ACE, summed up and gave a follow-up action. Mr Sergey Makarov, Dr Nuki Agya Utama and M. Chipchong Sarasy, Deputy Director, Renewable Energy and Other Energy Department, Ministry of Mines and Energy, Cambodia – Host Country, closed the event by giving closing remarks and hoping that the workshop reached its objective.

By Jeihan Kartika Hapsari (JKH)