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KUCHING, June 28: Petronas in collaboration with Asean energy operators, governmental agencies, and international organisations, launched the Asean Energy Sector Methane Leadership Programme (MLP) and announced methane abatement flagship projects in collaboration with Japan Organisation for Metals and Energy Security (Jogmec).
The event took place at the Methane High-Level session on June 26 during the Energy Asia 2023 Conference at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) in Kuala Lumpur.
Highlighting the significance of Asean’s collective voice, Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said human capital will be crucial in helping Malaysia achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Global Methane Pledge, which aligns well with the goals of the Paris Agreement.
The Asean Energy Sector Methane Roundtable was established in October 2021, with the objective to promote collaboration on methane emissions management in the oil and gas sector.
“Through the six-monthly roundtable series, we recognised the importance of upskilling the key practitioners in the sector to address information asymmetry and the need of capability building on cost-effective solutions on methane emissions abatement,” he said in a media release today.
This periodic engagement reached a new milestone with the launch of MLP. This new 18-month initiative, delivered through masterclasses and workshops, will focus on capacity and capability building to strengthen Asean energy companies’ plans, targets, and financing options for reducing methane emissions.
The effort is in support of Global Methane Pledge that 150 countries have signed up to. The MLP provides a platform for the Asean oil and gas industry to demonstrate practical action and signal commitment to reducing methane emissions; create awareness for a sustainable change; inspire others to act and encourage greater accountability from all stakeholders.
Petronas president and Group chief executive officer (CEO) Tan Sri Tengku Muhammad Taufik marked the occasion as a momentous milestone which demonstrated its collective leadership and commitment to actions in managing methane emissions more effectively across the Asean region.
US Department of Energy assistant secretary Brad Crabtree acknowledged the regional commitment to actions on methane emission reduction goals, remarking, “This initiative demonstrates the region’s dedication to the Global Methane Pledge and how multilateral support, leveraging global best practices, can provide expertise and financing to help reduce global methane emissions by at least 30 per cent by 2030”.
The MLP partners constitute several stakeholders with common goals including Asean Centre of Energy (ACE), Asean Council on Petroleum (ASCOPE), Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Jogmec, Methane Guiding Principles (MGP), Pertamina, Petronas, PTTEP, The World Bank, United Nations Environment Programme International Methane Emissions Observatory (UNEP IMEO), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United States Department of Energy and United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).
Petronas and Jogmec also announced collaboration on methane abatement flagship projects, covering methane quantification surveys, viable solutions towards achieving zero routine flaring, and potential future collaboration on an electrification hub.
These projects are in support of the increased demand on stable supply of low carbon energy, Malaysia’s commitment to the Global Methane Pledge and are aligned with Petronas’ commitments to the World Bank’s Zero Routine Flaring initiative by 2030 and UNEP Oil & Gas Methane Partnership (OGMP 2.0).
Jogmec chairman and CEO Ichiro Takahara, said, “As an energy-demanding country, we believe that methane emissions management is important in terms of stable supply of clean energy.”
The Methane Programme at Energy Asia represents a significant advancement towards stronger international collaboration for methane abatement, and it is designed to empower Asean companies to reduce methane emissions through regional project collaboration, financing, and knowledge sharing on conducive policies and regulations, while encouraging the sharing of best practices. — DayakDaily
