Energy Security Vol 1 – Challenges and Outlook

By Andrew Pickford and Dr Jeffrey Wilson

This report has been prepared by Andrew Pickford, Director of Perth USAsia Centre’s Indo-Pacific Energy Program with input from Jeffrey Wilson, Perth USAsia Centre Research Fellow, and draws upon the discussions from the Perth USAsia Centre’s first Energy Security Roundtable held on 18 February 2016, in Perth, Australia.

The purpose of the Perth USAsia Centre’s Indo-Pacific Energy Program is to better understand energy security concerns and propose practical regional solutions. The ultimate aim is to avoid conflict and ensure all nations can access energy to power their economies. This involves devising approaches ahead of crises. During radical change, shocks and volatility can result in ad hoc energy policies which exacerbate existing political tensions that undermine regional energy security as a whole. Given the Indo-Pacific is home to both supplier and consumer nations, mechanisms that promote transparent, rules-based and liquid markets will be critical for ensuring the region’s energy security.