Duban: Improve use of LNG

 THE only way to satisfy renewable energy demand in the Asia-Pacific region is to improve the development and use of LNG, Petroleum and Energy Minister Nixon Duban says.

Duban said that at an assembly of energy officials in Port Moresby recently, where the APEC economies were advancing new measures to double the share of renewable energy in the region, to keep pace with rising demand and ease the environmental impact of economic development across Asia-Pacific. 

The APEC economies are the world’s largest producers and consumers of energy collectively, accounting for 55% of global energy production and 60% of total energy consumption.

Action such as technical cooperation to facilitate solar photovoltaic rooftop installation, support for low carbon heating system development and renewable energy grid integration were discussed at a week-long assembly of APEC energy officials in Port Moresby. 

Duban said: “Economic development and increasing consumption in emerging Asia-Pacific markets will intensify pressure on global energy supplies through the coming decades, even as large, newly accessible reserves come online. 

“The only way we are going to satisfy demand needed to keep our diverse economies moving is by improving the development and use of LNG and conventional fossil fuels, while taking further steps to diversify the region’s energy mix,” he said. 

“All of us in APEC want to see renewables play a larger role in production and consumption in the region and we are working closely to address cost and technical bandwidth issues to help make this happen.” 

As APEC economies implement their groundbreaking commitment to reduce tariffs on 54 “environmental goods” to 5% or less by the end of 2015, improving the accessibility of products such as solar panels and wind turbines, emphasis is turning to the fostering of international standards and best practices that are vital to the mainstream application of renewable technologies. A new gap assessment paper is being prepared. 

The APEC Low Carbon Model Town initiative, which promotes low carbon urban design based on real-world feasibility testing, is being expanded in-line with these efforts.