Energy Roundtable: Asia EDGE Briefing with DAS Melissa Simpson, Bureau of Energy Resources, State Dept.

Please join us for the second roundtable in the US-ASEAN Business Council's Energy Roundtable Series, which will feature a briefing by Deputy Assistant Secretary Melissa Simpson of the Energy Transformation Office at the State Department's Bureau of Energy Resources. During the roundtable, DAS Simpson will provide an update on the Asia EDGE (Enhancing Development and Growth through Energy) initiative, the energy-focused pillar of the U.S. Government's Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) strategy. A Q&A will follow the briefing. DAS Simpson's bio is available here.

In July 2018, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Asia EDGE as one of three economic pillars of the U.S. administration's FOIP strategy. Asia EDGE is described as a whole-of-government effort to grow sustainable and secure energy markets throughout the Indo-Pacific by strengthening energy security, increasing energy diversification and trade, and expanding energy access across the region. 

Ever since its announcement, the U.S. administration has maintained that it would like the private sector to play a major role in its implementation. The May 9 roundtable will offer an excellent opportunity to receive an update on Asia EDGE's implementation and provide DAS Simpson with input on how the initiative could be leveraged to help U.S. energy companies expand their operations in Southeast Asia.

The Energy Roundtable Series is an initiative by the Energy Committee at the US-ASEAN Business Council to keep member companies well-informed of prevailing and shifting trends in Southeast Asia's vital energy sector.

If you have any questions about the roundtable, please email Riley Smith at rsmith@usasean.org.