RP to push energy cooperation in Asia

The Philippines will spearhead cooperation on energy use in Asia.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople said yesterday the country will be the prime mover on energy cooperation under the framework of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD).

"The vulnerability of energy commodities to socio-political disturbances necessitates ACD member countries to strengthen cooperation in the energy sector," he said.

Speaking at the 2nd ACD ministerial meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Ople said the Philippine proposal complements those of Bahrain and Indonesia, which are co-prime movers on energy.

Ople said the Philippines is the second largest producer of geothermal energy after the United States, which it may surpass in the next decade.

Unlike Bahrain and Indonesia, the Philippines is not a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, he added.

Ople said the Philippines is expected to house the largest wind farm in the region by 2005.

The country has gradually lessened its dependence on imported oil, from 21 percent in 2001 to 15 percent in 2002, as a result of the operation of the Malampaya deep water gas-to-power project, he added.

The ACD comprises 10 ASEAN countries, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Qatar, and Bahrain. – Pia Lee-Brago