Jakarta, 22 June 2021: Prof Hidetoshi Nishimura, President of Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), jointly with Mr Hiroshi Kajiyama, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI), announced the launch of the Asia CCUS Network - an international industry-academia-government platform for knowledge sharing and improvement of the business environment for utilization of carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) throughout the Asia region. Thirteen EAS member countries and more than 100 companies, research institutions, and international organizations have so far expressed their intention to participate in the network.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), CCUS may account for nearly 15% of the cumulative reduction in global emissions to achieve carbon neutrality. According to the Global CCS Institute, each of the ASEAN countries has storage capacity of over 10 billion tons. Furthermore, 'The opportunity for CCUS in Southeast Asia', a special report recently released by the IEA in April, states that CCUS will play a significant role in the Southeast Asian region, where demand for fossil fuels will remain high. CCUS is expected to capture around 35 million tons in 2030, over 300 million tons in 2050, and over 600 million tons in 2070.  To achieve this level of CCUS deployment requires an estimated investment of more than US$1.2 billion per year until 2030.

To address these challenges, METI and ERIA launched the Asia CCUS Network at a special forum on June 22 and 23, 2021. This forum provided the most up-to-date information about countries that have already started CCUS demonstration projects including the United States, Australia, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. With government support and the involvement of all stakeholders, CCUS technology can become commercially viable and scalable and therefore attract investment from private companies around the world.

In his keynote address, Prof Hidetoshi Nishimura reiterated the vision of the Asia CCUS Network that aims to contribute to the decarbonisation of emissions in Asia through collaboration and cooperation on development and deployment of CCUS. The mission of this network is to facilitate deployment of CCUS through (i) promoting knowledge sharing through holding an annual forum, conferences, workshops, and meetings; (ii) conducting research studies on technical, economical, and legal standards of CCUS in the EAS region; and (iii) holding capacity building training workshops to bridge the knowledge gap on CCUS.  Prof Nishimura also added that the Asia CCUS Network Forum provides opportunities for countries in the region to collaborate on low emission technology that will help to build countries’ capability to lower the cost of CCUS.

During the discussions, three key issues were raised by policymakers and experts about the development and deployment of CCUS technology. First, there is a need for countries to create a favourable policy environment to facilitate the development and deployment of CCUS, especially about the development of a CCUS business model that private companies will need to invest in. Second, it is very important that countries will collaborate to build the CCUS value chain in terms of matching emissions, transportation, and storage capacity. Third, the price of CCUS technology will need to come down to a level that can be afforded by many countries.

The forum was attended by  honourable Ministers from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Philippines (proxy), Singapore, Thailand (proxy), Australia, and the United States who expressed their congratulations for the launch of the Asian CCUS Network. They also sent a strong supporting message to the leadership of METI and ERIA for setting up the Asia CCUS Network Forum. It will serve as a platform for collaboration on low emission technology that will eventually accelerate the deployment of CCUS to achieve carbon neutrality in Asia.

Day 1 - 22 June 2021: Launching Session 

• Opening Address 
  • Prof Hidetoshi Nishimura, President of Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia
  • HE Hiroshi Kajiyama, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan
• Ministerial Remarks 

  • HE Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mat Suny bin Haji Hussein, Minister of Energy, Brunei Darussalam

  • HE Mr Suy Sem, Minister of Mines and Energy, Cambodia

  • HE Mr Arifin Tasrif, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia

  • HE Dr Daovong Phonekeo, Minister of Energy and Mines, Lao PDR

  • Mr GAN Kim Yong, Minister for Trade and Industry, Singapore

  • HE Mr Angus Taylor MP., Minister for Energy and Emission Reduction, Australia

  • Dr Jennifer Wilcox, Acting Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy and Carbon Management, Department of DOE, United States of America

  • Mr Jesus T Tamang, Director of Energy Policy Planning Bureau on behalf of HE Mr Jesus Cristino P. Posadas Undersecretary of Department of Energy, Philippines

  • Dr Twarath Sutabutr, Chief Inspector-General on behalf of HE Dr Supattanapong Punmeechaow, Minister of Energy, Thailand

• Keynote Speeches
  • Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of International Energy Agency

  • Mr Brad Page, CEO of Global CCS Institute

  • Mr Bjorn Otto Sverdrup, Executive Committee Chair of Oil and Gas Climate Initiative

• Discussion Session 
  • Moderated by Mr Shigeru Kimura, Special Advisor on Energy Affairs, ERIA | click to download presentation

  • Dr Saleh Abdurrahman, Senior Advisor on Environment and Spatial Planning, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources
    (MEMR), Indonesia | click to download presentation

  • Mr Jesus Tamang, Director of Energy Policy and Planning Bureau, Department of Energy (DOE), Philippines | click to download presentation

  • Mr KAWAGUCHI Yukihiro, Director of Global Environment Affairs Office, Industrial Science and Technology Policy and Environment Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Japan

  • Dr Mohammad Rachmat Sule, Senior Lecturer, Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), Indonesia | click to download presentation

  • Q&A Session

Day 2 - 23 June 2021

• Report on the Working Plan of the Network in 2021-22 and 2022-2025, by Dr Han Phoumin, Senior Energy Economist of ERIA, the Asia CCUS Network Secretariat

• Japan’s CCUS showcase in the Asia region

  • Tomakomai CCUS Platform Project | click to download presentation
    Mr Tetsuya Enomoto, Senior Manager, Global Business Strategy and Public Policy Team Leader, Energy Unit, Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting (DTC)

  • Tomakomai CCS Demonstration Project – Achievements and Future Outlook  | click to download presentation
    Mr Yoshihiro Sawada, Corporate Adviser, General Manager of International Affairs Department, Japan CCS Co., Ltd. (JCCS)

  • Gundih CCUS Project - International Collaboration between Indonesia and Japan  | click to download presentation
    Mr Mitsutake Kudo, Director, Japan NUS Co., Ltd. (JANUS)

  • Japan Petroleum Exploration (JAPEX) Recent Activities toward Implementation of the CCUS Project in Indonesia | click to download presentation
    Mr Hiroto Harata, General Manager of Environment Business Department, Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd. (JAPEX)

  • Developing and Demonstrating CCUS Technologies for Industrial Deployment | click to download presentation
    Dr Ziqiu Xue, Chief Researcher/Group Leader, CO2 Storage Research Group, Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE)

• Panel Discussion 2 - Promoting private sector investment into CCUS projects in ASEAN region, and expectations to the government.
  Moderated by Dr. Tony Zhang, Senior Client Engagement Lead, Global CCS Institute

  • Mr Hajime Wakuda, President of Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) | click to download presentation

  • Ms Noriani Yati Mohamad, Head of Resource Development & Management – Sarawak, PETRONAS

  • Ms Dewi Mersitarini, Lead CCUS, PT Pertamina (Persero) | click to download presentation

  • Mr Mikel Erquiaga Aguirre, Director (Exploration), Repsol S.A.

  • Mr Stephen Jones, Development Planner, Global Carbon Capture and Storage Projects, ExxonMobil Corporation | click to download presentation

• Panel Discussion 3 - Financing Scheme for Deployment of CCUS in Asia Moderated by Ms Kikuko Shinchi, Senior Researcher, Climate Change Solutions Group, Sustainable Division, Policy Consulting Unit, Mitsubishi Research Institute (MRI) | click to download presentation

  • Mr Jinmiao Xu, Energy Specialist, Energy Sector Group, Department of Sustainable Development and Climates Changes, Asian Development Bank (ADB)

  • Mr Shon Fletcher, Manager, Resource Division, Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources (DISER), Australia

  • Mr Juho Lipponen, Coordinator, Clean Energy Ministerial CCUS Initiative (CEM)  | click to download presentation

  • Ms Yukimi Shimura, Director, Solution Products Division, MUFJ Bank | click to download presentation

  • Mr Masaki Nemoto, Deputy Director, Global Environment Division, New Energy and Power Finance Department â…¡, Infrastructure and Environment Finance Group, Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC)

• Closing Remarks by Prof. Hidetoshi Nishimura, President of ERIA

Related Links:

• News Release by METI, Japan
• Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage: The opportunity for CCUS in Southeast Asia published by IEA