Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defence II Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Energy Ministerial Meeting (APEC EMM) at the Seattle Convention Center in Seattle, United States (US), on August 15 and 16.
The minister was accompanied by Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam to the US Dato Paduka Haji Serbini bin Haji Ali and officials from the Department of Energy at the Prime Minister’s Office.
Themed ‘Interconnected. Innovative. Inclusive.’, this year’s APEC EMM, the first meeting in eight years aimed to advance the overarching objectives of the APEC Putrajaya Vision 2040 of “an open, dynamic, resilient and peaceful Asia-Pacific community by 2040, for the prosperity of all our people and future generations”.
The meeting was chaired by US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M Granholm.
Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Rtd) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi joined extensive dialogue between APEC economies on effective strategies for accelerating sustainable and inclusive clean energy transitions.
During the power sector decarbonisation session, the minister highlighted the Sultanate’s efforts and pathways in decarbonising its power sector through renewable energy and energy efficiency and conservation initiatives.
At the sidelines of the meeting, the minister also had a networking session with the other heads of delegation from APEC economies, including Jennifer M Granholm; Indonesian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif; and Singaporean Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Dr Tan See Leng.
The meeting programme also included site visits to clean energy technology company First Mode and the Geothermal Center at the Microsoft Campus, which serves as the powerhouse for the campus.- James Kon
