Jakarta/Tokyo, 24 March 2023: The 11th Meeting of Energy Research Institute Network (ERIN) centred on bringing energy security to the East Asia Summit region. The virtual meeting was hosted by the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) and organised by the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan (IEEJ), serving as ERIN Secretariat.

Dr Siti Indati Mustapa, Director of the Institute of Energy Policy and Research, National Energy University in Malaysia-representing Dr Kulyos Audomvongseree, Chairperson of ERIN and Director of the Energy Research Institute at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand-stressed the importance of achieving carbon neutrality the soonest, as finding and providing fundamental solutions to meet this target could not be postponed any longer. He said the ERIN meeting was expected to be a knowledge and information-sharing platform amongst 18 official institutions from EAS countries.

Ms Clara E. Gillispie, Senior Advisor to the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR), reported on the interim progress of ERIN study projects for 2022–2023, including the study Getting to Net-Zero: Unlocking Pathways for Decarbonization in the Indo-Pacific. She said the  study would investigate three core questions regarding net-zero emissions in Indo-Pacific, major uncertainties in existing and future conditions, and the role of EAS in bolstering regional decarbonisation efforts. She added that although Indo-Pacific countries have multiple pathways to net-zero, the preliminary results of the study suggest that several actions are expected to have a significant impact in enabling more progressive decarbonisation. These include phasing out unabated coal in the power sector, electrifying the transport sector, deploying hydrogen for the transport and industry sectors and carbon capture and storage (CCS) for the power and industry sectors, and implementing energy efficiency measures.

Mr Shigeru Kimura, Special Adviser to President for Energy Affairs, Energy Unit, Research Department of ERIA, called for proposals for ERIN Energy Research projects in 2023–2024. Proposals should support low-carbon energy transition actions and contain regional energy research aspects. He added that the proposed research’s contents should be aligned with the Asia Zero Emissions Community (AZEC) concept, which is focused on policy, law, regulations, technologies, and financing mechanisms, including carbon credit. He listed other mechanisms that should be considered, including energy efficiency and conservation such as electrification; renewable energy deployment based on local potential; hydrogen and ammonia as fuels for power generation; CCS; carbon capture, utilisation and storage; carbon recycling; direct air capture with carbon storage; bioenergy with CCS; and carbon offset by forests. Mr Kimura said the selection process would be from March to June 2023 and the research phase from July 2023 to March 2024.

Dr Siti Indati Mustapa, Director of Institute of Energy Policy and Research at the Universiti Tenaga Nasional, presented the summary report of the 7th ERIN Workshop: Energy Security and Climate Action in East Asia Region, conducted in August 2022. The key points resulting from the workshop formed the basis of the focus of the ERIN research plan in 2024. Because fossil fuels will remain part of the energy mix, options for reducing carbon dioxide from fossil fuel use should be pursued, starting with co-firing hydrogen and ammonia, mainstreaming CCS technologies, and reforming investment mechanism for decarbonisation technology development. She added that the international framework to facilitate regional decarbonisation technology transfer was becoming indispensable.

Mr Kutani Ichiro, Head of the ERIN Secretariat and Senior Research Fellow at the Strategy Research Unit of the Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, led a roundtable discussion on Energy Security under the New Reality.  The discussion focused on security concerns of clean energy technologies, emphasising Asia's energy security strategy; challenges to a stable supply of fossil fuels during the transition; new challenges of decarbonisation, including security of critical minerals to achieve carbon neutrality; and a dissemination strategy to deliver all research results and messages to policymakers. Mr Kutani presented possible ERIN activities in 2023–2024, including the 8th ERIN Workshop and a joint workshop, outreach event, and joint paper writing, amongst others. Strategic agendas are to build stronger cooperation and knowledge-sharing platforms, including by participating in the Group of Twenty (G20) summit in India, the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in the United Arab Emirates, and the AZEC Summit 2023 in Japan.

Prof Hidetoshi Nishimura, President of ERIA, closed the meeting by pointing out that ERIN members should receive updated information. He announced that practical workshops would be organised before the G20 summit in New Delhi, COP28, and AZEC Summit. ERIA and ERIN would continue to represent the EAS at the international energy forum. He encouraged EAS countries to cooperate to maintain existing knowledge- and information-sharing platforms, especially on policies and strategies, as well as to develop and deploy decarbonisation measures.