Collaborating Towards a Low-Carbon Future: BSP Hosts Net-Zero Cluster Concept Workshop

Bandar Seri Begawan, August 31, 2023 - Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) held a workshop on "Progressing Industrial Collaboration towards a Net-Zero Cluster Concept" at the Indera Kayangan Ballroom, The Empire Brunei.

Present at the workshop as the Guest of Honour was Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Minister at The Prime Minister's Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II. The event was also attended by Yang Mulia Pengiran Hajah Siti Nirmala binti Pengiran Haji Mohammad, Permanent Secretary (Wawasan) at the Prime Minister’s Office; Yang Mulia Pengiran Haji Jamra Weira bin Pengiran Haji Petra, Acting Permanent Secretary (Energy) at the Prime Minister’s Office; Agnete Johnsgaard-Lewis, Managing Director BSP and Shell Country Chair in Brunei Darussalam; and Shirley Sikun, Head of Energy Transition in BSP.

The workshop was facilitated by the consulting group Accenture, which brought together  representatives from government agencies as well as industry players to discuss and identify opportunities toward a  Net-Zero Industrial Cluster Concept. The transition to a net-zero industrial cluster is a global initiative by the World Economic Forum, Accenture and Electric Power Research Institute launched at COP26 to support industrial clusters in their path towards net zero, while recognising and maximising economic competitiveness.

In her welcoming remarks, Agnete Johnsgaard-Lewis recognises the collaboration between private-public sectors in supporting Brunei Darussalam’s sustainability and net-zero journey, emphasising on the critical role of industrial clusters in the move towards net-zero.

“Collaboration is fundamental  to unlock sustainable investment in energy transition solutions”. She added: “I believe that today’s workshop will set the stage for further dialogues between public and private sectors on how we can collaborate to progress industrial decarbonization and collectively thrive in the energy transition.”

The one-day workshop aims to produce an “Insights and Recommendations Paper” outlining key opportunities and challenges of a net-zero cluster concept in Brunei, with the intent that this will be shared amongst relevant stakeholders.

 “Today, we  leveraged the diverse insights and experience from the participants to co-create the prospect of a lower-carbon industrial cluster in Brunei. We applied the lenses of partnership, policy, financing, and technology as these are key considerations for Brunei’s move to net-zero. As a Bruneian, it was inspiring to witness the shared sense of responsibility across agencies and sectors to support Brunei’s decarbonisation and sustainable development goals,” shared Shirley Sikun.