HA NOI ¡ª New and renewable forms of energy garnered the most attention at the first ASEM forum on energy security policies in Ha Noi yesterday. The forum brought in participants from both Europe and Asia.

The Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) is an informal process of dialogue and co-operation with 45 members, including the European Commission (EC), the European Union (EU) and Asian countries.

At the two-day forum, hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, both Asian and European participants confirmed their reliance on natural energies, such as oil, gas and coal, whose prices were continuingly increasing throughout the world.

With increasing oil prices and complicated international situations, ensuring energy security for sustainable development and reducing energy reliance were important aspects of ASEM co-operation, said Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem.

Khiem said that while the EU planned to devote 25 per cent of its energy to renewable sources by 2020, many other developing countries in Asia were still inexperienced on this matter.

Weerawat Chantanakome, director of the ASEAN Centre for Energy, said that more than 50 per cent of the region¡¯

s energy demand depended on oil imports.

The director, who placed his hopes on the regional power grid and gas pipeline as solutions for the community, added that developing local, renewable resources would be a top priority.

Pham Khanh Toan, director of the Viet Nam Institute of Energy, said the country was currently using renewable energy sources, such as biomass fuels, hydropower, solar energy, wind power and geothermal energy. Though he also said that this usage accounted for only 2 per cent of the whole.

Toan said the country had used renewable energy for the past 20 years; however, it needed more concrete and specific policies to further develop resources.

The country planned to replace 5 per cent of its gasoline usage with a similar bio-fuel by 2025, said Toan.

Jeff Piper, from the EC, said the commission still needed about 1.8 trillion euros ($US2.8 trillion) in investments by 2030, along with more co-operation with EU members and other countries.

According to the International Energy Agency, global energy systems were becoming increasingly unsustainable, and needed global solutions.

ASEM will have further discussions at the Asian Ministers Energy Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand later this year.¡ªVNS