Published on: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 |
PETALING JAYA: Demand for electricity in Association of South-East Asian Nations (Asean) will continue to post a high rate of growth, requiring the development of infrastructures which are vital for industrial development and the enhancement of the quality of life.
Minister of Energy, Water and Communications, Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik, said the International Energy Outlook 2006 projected that world economic growth would continue to increase at an average annual rate of 3.8 percent over the projection period of 2003 to 2030, thus driving the robust increase in world energy use.
"Worldwide, transportation and industry are the major growth sectors for energy demand," he said at the opening of the 2006 International Energy Conference for Sustainable Asia and Introducing of the National Suria 1000 Programme here Monday.
The conference is organised by the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia in collaboration with the Asean Academy of Engineering and Technology.
Dr Lim said on the the global basis, the transportation sector, where there was currently no alternative fuels that could compete with oil, accounted for about one-half of the total projected increase in energy use and the industrial sector accounted for another 39 percent of the incremental demand between the period of 2003 and 2030.
"Given the above scenario on world energy demand in general and Asia in particular, there is certainly a dire need to ensure sustainable use of our energy resources.
"At the Asean level, the Asean Vision 2020 envisages a clean and green Asean with fully established mechanisms for sustainable development to ensure the protection of the environment, the sustainability of its natural resources, and the high quality of life of the estimated 500 million people in the region," he said.
He said the Trans-Asean Power Grid Project and the Trans-Asean Gas Pipeline Project were being carried out to address the issue of sustainability of the energy sector in Asean.
"In view of the escalating oil prices and growing demand for energy in the region, Asean is on the right track in its current pursuit of 11 bilateral power interconnection projects under the Trans-Asean Power Grid (TAPG) Project," he said.
The TAPG aims to exchange power among inter-connecting countries by optimising the regional energy resources and this in turn will result in cheaper electricity.
Dr Lim said through this project, Asean offered opportunities for member countries to jointly developed a borderless electricity industry.
"In the quest to ensure the greater economic value and security of gas supply within the Asean region, the Trans-Asean Gas Pipeline project, which is currently under way, is expected to provide the region with a secure supply of energy with the realisation of the gas infrastructures," he said.
Touching on energy scenario in Malaysia, Dr Lim said in view of the escalating oil prices, the efficient use of energy must be stepped up to ensure Malaysia remain competitive. "In line with the second pillar of the National Energy Policy objective to promote the utilisation of energy resources, the Government has introduced tax incentives for companies that provide energy-saving consulting services as well as for companies that incur capital expenditure for energy efficiency and energy consumption," he said.- Bernama
