US Seeks Greater Energy Cooperation with ASEAN, Advances SMR Push
By Nik Nurfaqih Nik Will
JAKARTA, July 24 (Bernama) -- The United States is ready to expand energy cooperation with ASEAN ranging from liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies to small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) to help the region meet its growing energy demand.
US Ambassador to ASEAN Kevin Kim in describing the region as ‘the engine of economic growth in the 21st century’, noted that ASEAN would require significant additional energy resources to sustain its continued economic expansion.
“The United States wants to be able to work with Southeast Asia on different types of energy and becoming a source of diversification for Southeast Asian markets.
“So, we want to work with Southeast Asia by providing access to the American LNG market development, the deployment of US-bred technologies, as well as providing and working with ASEAN on small modular nuclear reactors,” he said.
He said this during a virtual press briefing on the outcomes of US participation in the 59th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings in Manila, where US Secretary of State Marco Rubio represented Washington on Wednesday.
Kim said the United States also recognised ASEAN's efforts to strengthen regional energy resilience through the implementation of the ASEAN Petroleum Security Agreement and the development of strategic petroleum reserve stockpiles, adding that Washington would remain actively engaged on energy-related issues.
He noted that Rubio recently signed a memorandum of understanding with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts on the margins of the NATO Summit to strengthen trilateral cooperation on SMRs, describing the technology as an increasingly important component of future energy supply.
“Given the energy demands of this region as well as within the United States and throughout the world, SMRs will play a critical role in supplying energy in the future,’ he said.
Kim said US was holding extensive discussions with a number of ASEAN governments on potential cooperation in the sector but declined to identify specific countries or proposals as the discussions remained ongoing and sensitive.
“I don't want to comment too much about which specific countries or when because those are discussions that are still sensitive and governments are exchanging their views,” he said.
On the implementation of the newly signed trilateral SMR framework, Kim said the US, Japan and South Korea would continue detailed discussions on the next steps, although it had yet to be decided whether future engagements would take place through a more formal or organised consultative mechanism.
He added that cooperation on SMRs remained ‘an absolute priority’ for the US administration, noting that the technology was also a priority for many governments across Southeast Asia.
-- BERNAMA
