Meeting Summary

Summary of the 6th APEC Energy Data Expert Group Meeting
February 26-27, 1996 in Manila


The 6th APEC Energy Data Expert Group Meeting was held on 26 and 27 February 1996 at the EDSA Shangrila Hotel in Manila, Philippines chaired by Mr. Kenichi Matsui. Participants came from Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, USA and AEEMTRC on behalf of ASEAN Secretariat.

The meeting started with the welcome address of Mr. Mariano S. Salazar Undersecretary and Head, APEC Senior Officials on Energy Cooperation, Department of Energy, Philippines.

The meeting had the following three items for report and discussion.

  1. Report and Discussion on the APEC Energy Statistics
  2. Further development of the APEC Energy Data Base
  3. Other business

1. Report and Discussion on the APEC Energy Statistics

Mr. Nobuo Yazawa, economist of the Energy Data and Modelling Center, Coordinating Agency (CA) of this Group reported that the CA had collected annual data for 1994 as well as first quarter and second quarter data for 1995 of the member economies. He reported also that the CA had published "APEC Historical Energy Statistics 1980-1992" in September 1995 and "APEC Energy Statistics 1993" in December 1995. The CA had also produced 3 supplementary publications, "APEC Historical Energy Statistics 1980-1992 Supplement I", "APEC Historical Energy Statistics 1980-1992 Supplement II", "APEC Energy Statistics 1993 Supplement", containing the original tables submitted by each member economy and had distributed one copy of each to each member economy. He reported the problem that some member economies did not deliver data on time and he asked member economies to keep reporting on time. The CA presented its plan for a wider use of the Internet for data collection and information exchange.

For the Future Action Plan of the APEC Energy Statistics, the following schedules were proposed by the CA and accepted.

For the 1995 Standard Run

  • Energy data for the 3rd quarter of 1995
    Sending of "APEC Energy Statistics -3Q of 1995-" --- beginning of March 1996
    Arrival of comments from the member economies --- end of March 1996
  • Energy data for the 4th quarter of 1995
    Submission of data from the member economies --- end of April 1996
    Processing by the CA --- May 1996
    Sending of "APEC Energy Statistics -4Q of 1995-" --- end of May 1996
    Arrival of comments from the member economies --- end of June 1996
  • Delivery of a copy of
    "APEC Energy Statistics -1994-" --- end of August 1996
    including the 4th quarter of 1995 to APEC
    Secretariat in Singapore
  • Publication of APEC Energy Statistics -1994- October 1996
For the 1996 Standard Run

  • 1st quarter of 1996 --- end of July 1996
  • 2nd quarter of 1996 --- end of October 1996
  • 3rd quarter of 1996 --- end of January 1997
  • 4th quarter of 1996 --- end of April 1997
  • Annual Data for 1995 --- end of November 1996
  • Publication of APEC Energy Statistics 1995 --- October 1997
2. Further development of APEC Energy Data Base

Mr. Shigeru Kimura, Senior Researcher of the Energy Data and Modelling Center, presented the CA's revised draft reflecting the comments submitted by member economies.

The main recommendation was to further disaggregate the statistical tables to increase the usefulness for analytical purposes. In the discussion, it was agreed to use "ASEAN Energy Review" prepared by the AEEMTRC as much as possible to collect data for the expanded items for the ASEAN countries such as data for thermal power plant by fuel type. Energy related publications of the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank were suggested as possible data sources for the expanded items. Recognizing the importance of environmental issues, it was proposed to include data an environmental aspects. For this purpose, it was agreed that the CA will propose data items for environmental issues such as emissions of greenhouse gas and pollution control technology under sub item (4) in Table 3. The CA will request Ms. C. Lowry, representing USA, to make available background information on the US country studies on the environment involving some 60 countries and if possible listing of available information therefrom that are relevant to our requirement.

The CA will provide a reporting format for the expanded items by the end of May 1996 and it will be distributed to member economies for comments. A revised reporting format reflecting the comments will be distributed to member economies around August. Each member will then fill in the forms and return them to the CA by the end of November 1996. Results will be discussed at this Expert Group Meeting next year.

3. Other business

First it was agreed to request the APEC Central Fund for US$ 20,000.00 for 1997 mainly for publication of the "APEC Energy Statistics".

It was also agreed to request the EWG to rename this expert group from the current "APEC Energy Data Expert Group" to the "APEC Energy Data and Outlook Expert Group" at the EWG's coming meeting in Hong Kong in May 1996.

It was agreed to have a special meeting of this Expert Group between the 12th APEC Energy Working Group Meeting to be held in May 1996 in Hong Kong and the 13th EWG Meeting in October 1996 to discuss the details of the relationship of this Group with the planned "Asia Pacific Energy Research Center". This meting would also discuss and develop a plan for more effective use and presentation of the APEC Energy Data Base to make the significance of data more apparent to policy makers and other users. Other discussion items may be added depending on the response of the second meeting of the APEC Regional Energy Forecast/Energy Research Center Initiative, to be held on 28 and 29 March 1996 in Tokyo, to the inquiry of the chairman of this Expert Group for possible topics. It was also agreed that, now that the APEC Energy Data Base was established, the Expert Group and the EWG should consider how to disseminate the statistics more widely, while taking into account the importance of establishing effective protection mechanisms for access to the on-line service. It was agreed to seek the EWG's guidance at its May 1996 meeting on the basic policy dimensions of these issues such as whether to open the data base to the public for free or a fee and whether there should be differential pricing for member and for non-member economies and business sector.