No targets set in APEC energy declaration


APEC energy ministers have signed the 'Darwin Declaration' committing the 21 countries to improve energy efficiency.
The declaration does not set specific targets, but encourages countries to set their own efficiency goals.
It also aims to free up the trade of oil products, and enable investment in oil and gas reserves.
Australia's Energy Minister Ian Macfarlane says the member countries need more transparent trade, as well as a greater mix of energy sources.
"We need to develop and adopt a mix of cleaner stationary power technology including but not excluding any others, including renewables, clean coal, natural gas/LNG and for those economies who wish to pursue it, nuclear," Mr Macfarlane said.
Mr Macfarlane says a new system will be set up to help governments monitor their performance.
"We must promote and develop cleaner energy development and energy efficiency and conservation, including through a measure which has been agreed to known as the peer review mechanism," he said.
"[It] is a voluntary review mechanism which is available to any member economies to assess their energy efficiency."
APEC energy ministers have signalled they will be increasingly turning to nuclear power in the years to come.
Mr Macfarlane says many countries which were opposed to nuclear power five years ago now support it.
"Nuclear today has not been controversial at all, a number of economies who traditionally have been opposed to nuclear energy are now investigating its potential as part of their future clean energy mix," he said.
Indonesia and Vietnam both say they will be building nuclear power plants.
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