BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The Bruneian government has taken steps to advance its national solar energy target to 200 megawatts by 2025 and at least 30 percent of the power generation mix by 2035, a minister said on Monday.
When delivering a keynote address at the Brunei Mid-Year Conference and Exhibition 2023-Energy Seminar, Haji Awang Halbi, minister at the Prime Minister's Office and second minister of defense, said Brunei is expanding solar energy use to ensure energy transition across the whole energy value chain.
"Brunei Darussalam is currently exploring the potential of renewable energy-based connectivity through interconnection with neighboring countries, as we lie in a region with abundant renewable energy resources," he said.
The minister said that while oil and gas will continue to play a crucial role in meeting the growing energy demand and ensuring economic growth, it is imperative to prioritize pragmatic transitional solutions that promote equitable progress, energy security and emissions mitigation.
The two-day energy seminar is being held in Brunei by the Department of Energy at the Prime Minister's Office in collaboration with the ASEAN Center for Energy and Economic Research Institute for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia. ■