APEC ministers to meet to discuss energy issues

TOKYO, June 16 Kyodo -
Energy ministers from Pacific Rim economies will gather Saturday in central
Japan to discuss ways to ensure a stable supply of energy and improve its
efficient use amid growing demand for power sources in emerging countries in
the region, Japanese officials said Wednesday.
During the one-day meeting in Fukui Prefecture, home to a number of nuclear
reactors, Japan, as chair of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
forum, is also eager to promote the importance of nuclear power as an energy
source that does not emit carbon dioxide in the generation process.
But it is uncertain to what extent other countries would share the view, with
such countries as Australia and New Zealand focusing more on renewable energy
sources such as wind and solar power, according to a Japanese Economy, Trade,
and Industry Ministry official.
The participants may also touch on the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of
Mexico, caused by an explosion of a BP Plc rig in April, the official said. The
worst oil spill in the United States led Washington to announce in May the
suspension of the issuance of new permits to drill new deepwater wells for six
months.
The issue has kept the U.S. administration busy, and U.S. Secretary of Energy
Steven Chu is unlikely to attend the APEC ministerial meeting. Instead, Daniel
Poneman, deputy secretary, is expected to attend.
Cooperation in the area of energy is a key issue for the APEC region, which
accounts for around 60 percent of the world energy demand. The International
Energy Agency forecasts that global energy demand will increase by 40 percent
between 2007 and 2030, largely because of consumption in Asian countries.
APEC has sought to enhance energy security under an initiative which calls on
the need to share experiences on how to respond to temporary energy supply
disruptions, to make efforts to improve energy efficiency and promote energy
sources that would serve as alternatives to oil.
The region's oil import dependency stood at 34 percent in 2005 and is projected
to rise to 45 percent by 2030, according to the Asia Pacific Energy Research
Center.
Countries such as Japan, the United States and South Korea have oil stockpiles
to prepare for emergencies, and Japan hopes to encourage coordinated
stockpiling action in the region, the Japanese official said.
The discussions at the ministerial meeting would be reflected in the process of
formulating a growth strategy for APEC, which partly seeks a more
''sustainable'' economic growth that is compatible with global efforts to
mitigate climate change.
The growth strategy is expected to be finalized in November when the leaders of
the member economies gather in Yokohama.
As for nuclear power, Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Masayuki
Naoshima, who will chair the meeting, said Tuesday, ''Japan is promoting
nuclear power by ensuring safety, and emerging countries are announcing plans
to introduce nuclear power plants. So I would like to confirm the importance of
nuclear energy (at the meeting).''
Fukui, facing the Sea of Japan, is known as a prefecture hosting the largest
number of commercial nuclear reactors in Japan, with 13 reactors in operation.
The prefecture is also home to the Monju prototype fast-breeder reactor, which
recently resumed operations for the first time since an accident in 1995. A
fast-breeder reactor can produce more nuclear fuel than it consumes while
generating electricity, and thus can dramatically enhance the efficiency of use
of uranium resources.
==Kyodo