At what has become an annual briefing with the ADB President, on behalf of the Energy Committee, Chief of Energy Sector Group Yongping Zhai made a presentation to President Masatsugu Asakawa on 29 May 2020. Yongping started with a brief overview of the shape of things to come in energy: the progress made, and the remaining challenges and opportunities that are being presented both by global and regional trends. Yongping then discussed where the ADB energy sector is at currently: the projects approved in 2019, the expected portfolio in the near term, and how the sector has also shifted itself and responded to the One ADB action to support DMCs in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. The Energy Committee members provided more detail on the efforts in their respective regions.
The President expressed his appreciation for the informative briefing – the first one to be done virtually and said he is looking forward to working closely with the Energy Sector Group on ACEF and the Review of the 2009 Energy Policy.