Page 14 - AsiaElec Week 45 2021

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the governments of the Philippines and (GHG) emissions by 29 percent by 2030, and has been taken to address issues of gas
Indonesia signed the ETM (Energy Transition achieving “net-zero” emissions by 2060, with pressure.
Mechanism) Southeast Asia Partnership athte virtually all of those proposed cuts coming “We have not signed power contracts,” he
COP26 conference in Glasgow. from its energy sector. The Philippines, on said, responding to a question. He added that
The agreement will help to greatly the other hand, while it has made a largely due to the contracts signed by the previous
accelerate climate resiliency efforts here. In the conditional pledge to cut emissions as part governments, the capacity payments had
process, however, it will force the Philippines of its commitment under the 2015 Paris reached Rs800 billion.
to completely rethink its current energy Agreement, has only last year imposed a “We have reduced the annual flow of
policy. moratorium on new coal plants. circular debt from Rs450 billion to Rs130
The new agreement was announced billion.”
by ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa, PPP’s Nafisa Shah said that under the
Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd current government circular debt had
and Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani GRID increased four times. “Your government
Indrawati in Glasgow on November 3. In has recently increased electricity tariff. Rs34
addition to these partners, the agreement was Pakistan to invest $637mn billion is being collected from the consumers,
also “endorsed by senior cabinet-level officials this is extortion.”
from Denmark, the United Kingdom and the in power transmission However, responding to the criticism,
United States,” as ADB’s press release put it. Hamad Azhar pointed out that the circular
The government of Japan also offered support system debt has come down from Rs400 billion
for the agreement with its Ministry of Finance annually to Rs330 billion.
announcing that it would provide a $25 Pakistan’s Minister for Energy Hammad Parliamentary Secretary for Law and
million grant to serve as seed money for the Azhar said that the government was planning Justice Maleeka Bokhari told the panel that
ETM programme. to invest over PKR111bn ($637mn) in the the incumbent government had introduced
Although a variety of programmes and power transmission system during the next legal reforms to ensure the just and
initiatives can be carried out under the three years. expeditious disposal of civil and criminal
ETM, “energy transition” specifically means In a National Assembly session, chaired by cases.
transitioning away from fossil fuel-powered Amjad Khan Niazi, the energy minister said “We have introduced legislation including
electricity generation to forms of energy that that the transmission line projects will take Code of Civil Procedure Amendment Act,
do not cause harmful emissions. This is where place in several areas of the country. Letters of Administration and Succession
the Philippines’ existing energy policy is Hammad Azhar told the house that the Certificates Act, the Enforcement of Women’s
problematic, and will need to be significantly government has issued directives to both Property Rights Act and Legal Aid and Justice
changed. Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and Sui Authority Act.”
As noted by the ADB, Indonesia has Southern Gas Company Limited to conceive
already announced energy transition goals, a viable plan to rehabilitate the damaged
committing to reduce greenhouse gas pipelines within a month. He said the decision

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