SUMMARY

The companies look to progress the shared ambition towards a lower-carbon future.

By Shardul Sharma

Malaysia’s Petronas, Thailand’s PTT and Indonesia’s Pertamina will intensify collaboration on methane emissions management in the southeast Asian region, Petronas said on May 23.

Petronas hosted a virtual roundtable, which was supported by PTT and Pertamina, on May 19 as part of the collaborative effort between energy companies to “raise awareness, elevate conversation and champion the climate change agenda in the region, particularly on effective methane emissions management.”

The session was attended by participants from Petronas, PTT, Pertamina and ASEAN oil and gas companies as well as international organisations such as the International Energy Agency (IEA), the World Bank, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Environment Defense Fund (EDF). Also present were representatives from Malaysia’s ministry of environment and water, its Economic Planning Unit and its prime minister’s department, the US embassy of in Malaysia, Japan’s ministry of economy, trade and industry (METI) and Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMOC).

Petronas CEO Datuk Tengku Muhammad Taufik said a transition strategy that is responsible and equitable is key to ensuring the sustainability of ASEAN’s energy system. 

“As part of our duty as energy companies, it is imperative that we navigate these challenges with a deep-rooted purpose,” he said. “We must remain at the heart of an effective engine to drive economic recovery by providing energy that is clean, reliable and affordable as well as rally support to shape an ecosystem that will enable a responsible and just transition.”

Methane emissions management gained significant traction at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in 2021 when over 100 signatory countries signed on to the Global Methane Pledge. The ASEAN signatories to the pledge are Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, and Timor Leste.

A series of roundtables will be held bi-annually over the next five years, collaboratively hosted and championed by the energy players of ASEAN, Petronas said.