On 12 June 2014, ERIA organized a workshop in Luang Prabang, Lao PDR to discuss the Energy Security Landscape and Challenges in the ASEAN region.

Planned in conjunction with the 32ndSenior Officials Meeting on Energy (SOME) of ASEAN, the workshop had three thematic panel sessions which followed the keynote speech delivered by Mr. Shigetoshi Ikeyama, Senior Energy Analyst, International Energy Agency (IEA). Mr. Ikeyama outlined the energy outlook of Southeast Asia and the investment required to achieve energy security in 2035. The panel discussions had individual scene setting presentations by ERIA researchers, Drs. Venkatachalam Anbumozhi, Han Phoumin and Yanfei Li, bringing in results of relevant ERIA studies to stimulate interactive discussions involving SOME leaders as panelists.

Moderated by Mr. Shigeru Kimura, Special Advisor to the ERIA Executive Director on Energy Affairs, the first panel discussed the energy efficiency gains the region could achieve at the national and regional levels. SOE leaders from Brunei, Cambodia and India shared their countries' vision, mission plans and best practices and emphasized the need for game changing initiatives at the regional level to fully harness the potentials of energy efficiency, the hidden fuel. Dr. Hardiv Situmeang, Director of the ASEAN Centre for Energy, moderated the second panel which outlined the importance of cross-border power infrastructure underpinning the energy stability in the region. SOE leaders from Singapore, Lao PDR and the Philippines shared their early experiences in implementing policies that enable energy market integration, reflecting growing demands for the acceleration of further investment and policy coordination. The SOE leader from China, Mr. Suo Yungseng, moderated the third panel on clean coal technology, involving his counterparts from Malaysia and Viet Nam. The panelists underlined the fact that with the abundance of coal, its wise use would give a balanced choice for the region from the perspective of energy security and economic growth. The panel recommended the use of market-based instruments for the further uptake of clean coal technologies that can bring environmental competitiveness and efficiency to the sector.

Prof. Hidetoshi Nishimura, ERIA Executive Director, joined the deliberations of the panels and summarized the views, experiences and insights of the SOE leaders. Adding his own insights, Prof. Nishimura concluded that based on the use of the various strategies, countries are making progress at a different pace and scale, with local knowledge being one of the best inputs for policymaking. He asked the participants to think of the ASEAN Energy Community as a promising strategy to address the cross-border dimensions of energy security and the building of low-carbon energy systems. He also promised to continue ERIA's commitment, through its research and capacity building activities, to strengthen the enabling policies and regional architecture towards attaining energy security in ASEAN.