APEC Energy Ministers Launch the Darwin Declaration

After two days of meetings, the eighth APEC Energy Ministers' Meeting in Darwin has concluded with the release of the 'Darwin Declaration', recognising the need to deploy cleaner, more efficient and sustainable energy technologies.

"This is a landmark achievement for the APEC member economies," Australian Industry Minister and Chair of the meeting, Ian Macfarlane, said.

"Energy Ministers from across the 21 economies have agreed to a number of ways forward to achieve energy security and sustainable development.

"The decisions and deliberations we have had, particularly in relation to clean development and climate, will be an integral part of broader considerations undertaken by APEC Leaders when they meet in Sydney in September 2007.

"The future prosperity of the APEC region relies on securing energy supplies, and on clean and efficient energy production and use."

Key outcomes featured an agreement to improve energy efficiency through a range of measures, including the establishment of an Energy Investment & Trade Study and Roundtable, and a voluntary APEC Energy Peer Review Mechanism to improve the operations of energy markets.

"The voluntary Peer Review will focus on assisting APEC economies to increase their energy efficiency and reduce their dependence on oil," Mr. Macfarlane said.

"This will support the twin objectives of energy security and environmental sustainability and highlights the fact that while energy is paramount to APEC, environmental sustainability is also a key concern of member economies."

The Declaration looks at emergency preparedness to ensure our APEC economies manage the consequences of short-term supply disruptions, improving oil data sharing and cooperation with other international energy organisations.

It also looked at developing best practice towards energy efficient transportation, intensifying efforts to develop and deploy techniques for the cost-effective use of non-food feedstocks and encouraged international collaboration on alternative fuels.

A copy of the Darwin Declaration can be found here.