A programme of action in the minerals sector has been formulated to promote trade and investment in industrial minerals in support of the industrialisation of Member Countries and to meet the demand of mineral-intensive manufacturing and construction sectors. The Bangkok Declaration of 1995 agreed that, "ASEAN shall implement the programme of action to further enhance investment in industrial minerals and databases shall be set in place and be immediately operationalized".
The First ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Minerals (ASOMM) was held in October 1996 in Bali, Indonesia. ASOMM agreed to establish itself as a formal forum for ASEAN minerals cooperation. To realize the objectives of the Program of Action, ASOMM agreed to establish the ASEAN Industrial Minerals Information System (AIMIS) within the shortest possible time. A technical working group was established to deliberate on this matter in greater detail in February 1997 at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta.
ASOMM also agreed to establish a Directory of R & D and Training Facilities, Expertise and Investment Opportunities in ASEAN Member Countries. It has been agreed that ASEAN initially establish a Directory of R & D and Training Facilities available in the region.
The ASEAN Industrial Mineral Information System (AIMIS) was established to promote trade and investment in industrial minerals
Cooperation in Energy
The 14th ASEAN Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) was held in Kuala Lumpur in July 1996. It was preceded by the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Energy (SOME) held in June 1996. The Ministers initialled the Protocol Amending the ASEAN Energy Cooperation Agreement of 1986, to enable new members to participate in the AMEM and SOME activities.
The Ministers noted the completion of the Study on the Masterplan on Natural Gas Development and Utilization in the ASEAN region and agreed that Member Countries should study the findings of the Masterplan and its implications for their respective national plans. The findings of the study indicated that a regional gas transmission system is a distinct possibility, with construction in phases starting 2010 up to 2020. The Ministers also agreed to encourage the private sector to participate in the linking of the proposed Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline System, which consists of five sections and require an investment of US$15 billion. Overall, investment opportunities in ASEAN look promising, according to the AEEMTRC's ASEAN 2020 Study which estimated some US$ 490 billion requirement for the period 1996-2020. This bright future is complemented by the fact that ASEAN is one of the world's rich storehouses for energy resource, with about 244.3 MTOE in 1994.
The Special SOME held in Langkawi in November 1996 endorsed the objective, terms of reference (TOR) and modality of the ASEAN Energy Business Forum (AEBF). AEBF shall serve as the mechanism to facilitate private sector participation in ASEAN energy development as called for by the Fifth ASEAN Summit. Malaysia hosted the inaugural forum in June 1997, where business opportunities for the ASEAN electricity and natural gas grid networks were considered, among others.
The Special SOME in Langkawi also agreed to further enhance cooperation with the European Union which launched a new technical assistance framework for ASEAN-EU energy cooperation. Initiatives on both sides have been progressing in evolving cooperative programmes in Oil and Natural Gas; Clean Coal Technologies and Electricity; Energy Efficiency and Conservation; and New and Renewable Sources of Energy. Consultations had been held during the first Euro-ASEAN Roundtable on Energy which took place in Brussels in April 1997 which was participated by 100 senior policy makers, top industry and finance executives from ASEAN and the EU, and officials from the EC and other ASEAN and European energy specialists. A follow-up conference was held in late June 1997 in Bangkok. The main conclusions were presented by the EC Commissioner Responsible for Energy to the ASEAN Energy Ministers at the 15th AMEM in Manila in July 1997.
ASEAN Member Countries authorized the release of US$ 310,000 from the ASEAN Fund to support the operational requirements of AEEMTRC until December 1998. In line with its transformation into an ASEAN Energy Centre, the Special SOME considered a funding proposal for the creation of an endowment fund, and a business plan for longterm financing arrangements for the Centre for the period 1999-2003. The SOME/15th AMEM decided on the final details of the Centre, i.e, its form, functions, constitution and funding commitment.
Four sub-sector networks on ASEAN Energy Cooperation had meetings during the period under review to, among others, assess the implementation status of the various cooperation projects and activities under their jurisdiction. These meetings were the sub-sector networks covering Oil and Gas, Energy Efficiency and Conservation, Electricity and New and Renewable Sources of Energy.