New target needed on Asean energy

Siri said that a committee will study the new target for reduction of the energy intensity as committed at 20 per cent within 2021. All 10 Asean countries have reached the committed target earlier, lowering the energy intensity by 21.9 per cent in 2016, compared to the base year in 2005.
The committee will take one year for the study from now and the results will be proposed to the 37th AMEM, to be hosted by Thailand.
Next year, Thailand will be well-prepared to host AMEM and Asean Plus Three (China, South Korea and Japan) meeting with the United States and India. 
These three countries intend to have alternative energy as the main energy source and there could be much changes related to energy in the future.
"Next year's main topics will focus on the changes of energy use in Asean and the world. It's Energy Transition. Use of energy will be lower but quality of life will be good as is or better. And main energy such as coal and natural gas will be used less, slowly giving way to alternative energy. Thailand will focus on biomass energy and biogas. 
But prices must be inexpensive," Siri said.
Sarat Prakobchart, director of DEDE's Bureau of Energy Efficiency Promotion, said that DEDE will conduct a study before proposing the revised target for energy use in the AMEM, which will be hosted by Thailand next year. As committed, the reduction of energy use was set at 20 per cent in 2021 and at 30 per cent in 2025.
Thailand, as the AMEM host, will have to study the new target, he said. In this year's meeting, reduction of energy use and increase of energy efficiency in the transportation sector were discussed and could become a part of the measures which will be proposed in next year's meeting.