Jakarta, 8-10 September 2020: Professor Hidetoshi Nishimura, President of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) delivered a keynote speech titled “The Role of CCT in the ASEAN Region” the at the 29^th Clean Coal Day in Japan 2020 International Symposium ‘Role of Coal/CCT in the Era of the Energy Transition’ (8 September).

Assessing the impact of COVID-19 on the energy sector, Prof Nishimura stated that the massive reduction of CO2 emissions as well as SOX and NOX emissions are likely to be temporary, rebounding in accordance with economic recovery and energy demand.

According to the ERIA’s energy outlook for the EAS region, ASEAN’s energy demand and electricity demand will double and triple respectively between 2015 and 2040 driven by fossil fuel demand. The share of coal as part of the total power generation will further increase from 32% to 52% during the same period.

Prof Nishimura emphasized the importance of high-efficiency, low-emission thermal technologies combined with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies as a pragmatic solution of mitigating CO2 emission in the EAS region. ‘The biggest hurdle for the CCS technologies is its economic viability. One of the solutions is to reuse separated CO2 and improve the economic viability of the whole cycle. To this end, we need to improve the efficiency of CO2 capture, to promote innovation for cost reduction, and to expand the sectors where CO2 could be reused,’ he said.

Prof Jun Arima, Senior Policy Fellow on Energy and Environmental Affairs, also participated in the symposium on Day 2, Session 2 on ‘Investment for Coal in the Era of Energy Transition’ as the moderator. On Day 3, he reported the outcome of Session 2 and participated in the panel discussion on ‘The Role of Coal/CCT in the Era of Energy Transition’, highlighting the need to deliver clear a message on the Asian energy reality in international climate fora including COP26.

The 29^th Clean Coal Day in Japan 2020 International Symposium ‘Role of Coal/CCT in the Era of the Energy Transition’ was organized by the Japan Coal Energy Center (JCOAL) and co-organized by the Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) of Japan, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC).