Singapore on Thursday urged South-East Asian governments to push ahead with energy connectivity to back up the region's dynamic economic growth, DPA reported.
As Asia had become a major engine for growth in the global economy, "the case for regional energy cooperation has never been stronger," said Singapore Minister in the Prime Minister's Office S Iswaran.
He said the 10-member Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) "must move faster," speeding up projects like the Trans-ASEAN gas pipeline and the ASEAN Power Grid for electricity.
"ASEAN governments will have to find ways to ensure that energy does not become a binding constraint in growth," the minister told a regional forum.
"We are at the heart of a dynamic region, and the prospect for growth is promising," he said. "But this also means that the demand for energy to fuel this growth will be ever-increasing."
The minister called on ASEAN nations to promote a greater harmonisation of market regulation and standards across the region as prerequisites for energy market connectivity.
ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
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