Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline Research Articles

SECURING NATIONAL AND REGIONAL ENERGY: INDONESIA'S POLICY IN THE TRANS-ASEAN GAS PIPELINE PROJECT

<div><p>The regional cooperation policy for the development of the Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline (TAGP) megaproject is one of Indonesia's efforts to secure national energy sources. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of the policies that have been implemented by the Indonesian Government in responding to various problems of energy insecurity in the gas sector. Indonesia's policy to actively participate in the TAGP project is believed to be one of the solutions to overcoming the national and regional gas energy crisis, besides, energy security caused many various other security issues. This article uses a non-traditional security perspective to see why and how energy security become a huge issue today. The result that we found, in this case, is that the effectiveness of the policy cannot be assessed optimally, for example, the guaranteed stability of natural gas energy security at the national level and regional, both in terms of availability, distribution, and affordability that still needs continuous improvement.</p></div>

PENGARUH PROYEK TRANS ASEAN GAS PIPELINES (TAGP) TERHADAP ARAH KEBIJAKAN LUAR NEGERI INDONESIA DI BIDANG KERJASAMA ENERGI TAHUN 2002-2015

ABSTRACT ASEAN has announced plans to construct a natural gas pipeline network through the Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline Infrastructure Project, or TAGP. Furthermore, the advocates of TAGP expect it to promote economic development, earn foreign exchange, mitigate the risks of climate change, and enhance regional energy security. Energy Security is also a system, composed of national policies and international institution, therefore it requires policies and a business climate that promote investment and development and innovation to ensure that adequate supplies and infrastructure will be available, in a timely way, and in the future. Afterwards, Indonesia as a led country in ASEAN which has a natural gas energy resources that are relatively large then considering the direction of Indonesia’s foreign policy to cooperate on the global system through cooperativeenergy governance framework. The direction of Indonesia’s foreign policy has basic optimistic to promote economic growth and embrace the ASEAN region to be more integrated. Keywords: ASEAN, TAGP, Energy Security, Indonesia’s Foreign Policy, Inter-regional Cooperation, Cooperative Energy Governance

ASEAN-EU energy cooperation: sharing best practices to implement renewable energy sources in regional energy grids

The promotion of the energy security condition is one of the main aim of the cooperation between ASEAN and EU within the Plan of Action 2018-2022. The implementation of a regional integrated energy market among Southeast Asian countries will be the main driver to realize the ASEAN Economic Community, providing regular energy supplies (without disruptions) in order to meet the growing energy demand which will support the expected economic growth in the ASEAN region.We can observe that ASEAN and EU share the same approach in terms of diversification of the energy mix and the development of a regional energy grid, mainly fuelled with renewable sources (RES): as a matter of fact, the project to create an ASEAN Power Grid follows the EU attempt to create an EU-Mediterranean electricity ring, developing regional interconnections and producing “clean electricity” through RES (mainly solar and wind). Moreover, ASEAN initiatives to increase energy interconnectivity through the implementation of the Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) regasification terminals are conceived as a way to reduce their dependence on coal (using gas as a transit fuel) as well the promotion of clean coal technologies.The aim of this paper is to analyse the potential evolution of this ASEAN-EU cooperation in the energy field and how sharing best practices and promoting a bilateral dialogue will support ASEAN countries to enhance a long-term renewable energy cooperation. ASEAN has set a target of securing 23 percent of its primary energy from renewable sources by 2025 and the EU initiatives and policies on RES (which accounts for 17 percent of energy consumed and 30 percent of the energy mix necessary to produce electricity) will be an interesting framework to work together on the achievement of the common goal of combating climate change.

Trans-ASEAN gas pipeline and ASEAN gas market integration: Insights from a scenario analysis

In order to promote ASEAN gas market integration, this paper offers four scenarios to renew momentum towards continuing with the marginalised Trans-ASEAN gas pipeline (TAGP) and further development of cross-border pipeline gas trading. The four subregional and regional market integration scenarios could be used as stepping-stones to achieve ASEAN gas market integration. The impact of each scenario was estimated with the least cost world gas market model and the impact is indicated by the difference between each integration scenario and the baseline scenario, respectively. The simulations suggest that integrated gas markets in ASEAN are beneficial through the reduction of total procurement costs for ASEAN and the World. The TAGP is also beneficial in terms of incentivising ASEAN production that can be transported cost-effectively to demand centres within the region. The development of marginal production due to the availability of lower cost transportation is in line with ASEAN's goals for resource optimisation and energy security enhancement. The paper suggests that ASEAN should advocate the gas market integration, and that ASEAN member states could take various institutional measures to achieve higher levels of integration.

ASEAN Gas Integration

The ASEAN region's most ambitious mega-project, the trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline (TAGP) aims to connect the gas reserves of the Andaman Sea, Gulf of Thailand and South China Sea to the urban and industrial demand centres of Southeast Asia. The economics prospects for the TAGP are poor, dependent as it is on the uncertain development of the vast but costly reserves of the East Natuna basin. Developments in the past few years have made it apparent that the ability to directly import LNG has become a preferred option among ASEAN member countries. It facilitates access to gas supply quickly and at low cost, to meet the energy needs of the association's member economies. Thus the example of Singapore that has built LNG re-gasification facilities to reduce its reliance on piped natural gas imports from Malaysia and Indonesia illustrates these arguments. If it is not likely that the TAGP project as envisioned by ASEAN officials will be a major factor in CBI investment commitments in the region, the concept of LNG trading hubs which has received significant attention more recently, both in policy and industry circles, faces equally challenging hurdles.

Thinking big: Politics, progress, and security in the management of Asian and European energy megaprojects

This article examines four energy megaprojects, two in Europe and two in Asia. For each region, a large natural gas pipeline project and an international project involving solar power from the desert is studied. The natural gas projects are: the Nabucco project (in Europe) and the trans-ASEAN gas pipeline network (in Asia). The solar power from the desert projects are: Desertec (in Europe) and Gobitec (in Asia). The article probes explanations of megaproject failure along social, technical, economic, political, and psychological dimensions. We find that these projects, though they are very different in nature and pertain to different regions, all suffer from a similar set of problems: too many stakeholders and stakeholder fragmentation; cost overruns and the risk of accidents and attacks; massive externalization of costs to third party stakeholders; concentration of wealth and corruption; and inflated expectations and biased projections. We conclude by reflecting on lessons for not only the involved institutions and investors, but energy analysts and the public at large.

The interpretive flexibility of oil and gas pipelines: Case studies from Southeast Asia and the Caspian Sea

Based on research interviews and field research, this article explores the “interpretive flexibility” of two large pipelines: the $4.6 billion Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil pipeline exporting petroleum from the Caspian Sea near Azerbaijan and then traversing parts of Georgia and Turkey; and parts of the $14.2 billion Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline (TAGP) Network connecting the gas reserves of Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand with each other and Singapore. Each pipeline is the product of differing interpretations and ideologies, meaning they have “interpretive flexibility” because their meaning is under constant interpretation. The article depicts four differing interpretive frames for each pipeline, revealing the views of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, government of Thailand, government of Myanmar, and state-owned energy Malaysian energy company Petronas for the TAGP, and the World Bank Group, British Petroleum, European Union, and the government of Azerbaijan for the BTC. The article finds that pipelines not only mark the physical landscape and distribute energy fuels, they also transfer what were once customary public resources into private hands, concentrate political power, facilitate human rights abuses and possible acts of genocide, become intertwined in national discourses of revitalization and strength, and validate distinct approaches to economic and social development.

Pipelines, crisis and capital: understanding the contested regionalism of Southeast Asia

Via an analysis of the trans-ASEAN gas pipeline project (TAGP), in this article we argue for a reconceptualising of the regional dynamics of Southeast Asia and the forces shaping them. For this task, we propose an analytical framework based upon social conflict theory that delves within and beyond the state, and which places emphasis upon the roles of both material and ideological factors operating across time in the reordering of particular geographical spaces. The framework reveals that the tensions acting within and upon ASEAN and the TAGP influence regionalism in such a way that the gas pipeline project – much like other ‘regional’ projects – is unlikely to ever come close to fulfilling its brief of enhancing regional security and cohesion. What is more probable is that the project's form will continue to be conditioned by entrenched politico-economic realities and the influence of dominant ideologies – factors which have the capacity to exacerbate existing regional animosities and disparities.

Contested Regionalism in Southeast Asia: The Politics of the Trans-Asean Gas Pipeline Project

This article analyses the trans-ASEAN gas pipeline project (TAGP) as a way to reconceptualise regional dynamics in Southeast Asia and the forces shaping them – what we call ‘contested regionalism’. For this task, we propose an analytical framework that delves within and beyond the state, and which places emphasis upon the role of material and ideological factors operating at particular moments in time. The framework reveals that the tensions acting within and upon ASEAN and the TAGP shape the regional approach to energy governance in such a way that the gas pipeline project – much like other ‘regional’ projects – is unlikely to ever come close to fulfilling its brief or that of its masters. What is more probable is that the project’s form will continue to be conditioned by entrenched politico-economic realities and the influence of dominant ideologies – especially during times of crisis – that have the capacity to exacerbate existing regional animosities and disparities.

A critical stakeholder analysis of the Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline (TAGP) Network

This article uses research interviews, field research, and critical stakeholder analysis to identify the relevant actors and institutions involved in the Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline (TAGP) Network, a proposed multibillion dollar energy project in Southeast Asia. Based on more than 100 interviews at government institutions, multilateral development banks, universities, consulting firms, energy companies, and nongovernmental organizations, along with field research in Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, the article traces the interests, resources, and agendas involved with TAGP stakeholders. The article finds points of conflict between stakeholders as well as motivations for convergence and cooperation. The article provides insight into whether private interests will trump the public good potential of the TAGP, and also critically questions the efficacy of multilateral coordination on energy issues within Southeast Asia.

Energy policy and cooperation in Southeast Asia: The history, challenges, and implications of the trans-ASEAN gas pipeline (TAGP) network

This article explores the proposed multibillion dollar Trans-ASEAN Gas Pipeline (TAGP) network in Southeast Asia, focusing on the interests that have promoted the TAGP and why. Based on extensive field research, textual analysis of government reports, and more than 100 research interviews at government institutions, multilateral development banks, universities, consulting firms, energy companies, and nongovernmental organizations, this article assesses the challenges facing the TAGP in terms of promotion, implementation, and operation. It explores the genesis of the TAGP project and the drivers pushing Southeast Asian investment in natural gas, with a special emphasis on the development needs of the region. It also investigates the numerous technical, economic, legal, political, social, and environmental impediments to the TAGP project. The article concludes that the rhetoric of regional energy cooperation touted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) does not match its actual practice, and that in many cases discussions of regionalism and energy security are intended to obscure opportunistic thinking within individual countries.