Jakarta. Asean is aiming for 23 percent renewables in its total primary energy supply by 2025, the bloc's energy center told reporters on Thursday.

"[We hope] to achieve energy security, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability for all Asean member states. To achieve that, we need to accelerate the energy transition process with innovations and cooperation," Asean Center for Energy (ACE) executive director Nuki Agya Utama said in a virtual press conference on Thursday.

Asean has devised a 2016-2025 blueprint on energy cooperation to achieve its energy targets.

The action plan —commonly referred to as APAEC— runs in two phases, with the first one covering the 2016-2020 period. The APAEC is now entering its second phase with seven key areas, among them focusing on renewable energy.   

Under this plan, Asean seeks to boost renewables in its energy mix to 23 percent by 2025. It also eyes an increase in renewable energy share in installed power capacity to 35 percent by the same year. On energy efficiency and conservation, the bloc aims to lower energy intensity by 32 percent in 2025 based on 2005 levels. 

Asean will also optimize clean coal technology (CCT) and carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) towards a low carbon economy.

The 2016-2020 APAEC bore fruits. Asean reported to have achieved 21 percent energy intensity reduction, as well as a 13.9 percent share of renewable energy in its total primary energy supply in 2018.

Despite its success, the first phase did not fully capture the industrial and transportation sectors, according to Nuki.

"We are starting to capture those sectors in the second phase. The industrial sector is responsible, quite a lot, for primary energy consumption. The transportation sector as well," Nuki said.

ACE is working closely with Germany through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in its sustainable energy mission. Germany is also looking forward to share its experiences on energy transition with Asean.

"It is one of Germany's major priorities to support Asean and its member states in its commitment towards sustainable energy," said Oliver Hoppe, development cooperation counsellor, German Embassy-Asean.