ASEAN countries aim to promote interconnectivity in energy

JAKARTA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Ten countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) declared on Friday to push for interconnectivity in energy through the ASEAN Power Grid and Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline, including liquefied natural gas infrastructure.

The declaration is made under a joint ministerial statement during the 41st ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meetings held in Indonesia's Bali province.

"This outcome marks the progressive cooperation among ASEAN member states to reach our renewable energy targets, to accelerate the energy transition," Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif, who chaired the two-day meeting, said in a press release.

ASEAN has set the target of raising the proportion of renewable energy in its energy mix to 23 percent by 2025 for a low-carbon future.

Tasrif added that ASEAN would need funds of around 29.4 trillion U.S. dollars, based on calculation by the International Renewable Energy Agency, to implement the energy transition in the region by 2050.