Government of Timor-Leste

The Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Francisco da Costa Monteiro, participated in the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), which runs from October 2^nd to 5^th in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

This event, organised annually by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) for almost four decades, this year had the theme “Decarbonize. Faster. Together”. ADIPEC is a global meeting place for the oil and gas industry, bringing together government officials, professionals, experts and energy industry leaders to discuss the latest trends, innovations and developments in the oil and gas sector.

At this Conference, Minister Monteiro represented Timor-Leste in high-level meetings and discussions on the importance of the energy transition for socio-economic development and stressed that developing countries cannot ignore their oil and gas resources in the face of significant development needs. Timor-Leste's commitment is to seek to integrate clean energy into its energy mix while working to decarbonise its oil and gas operations.

During the ministerial panel “The road to COP28: sustainability and an equitable transition” at ADIPEC 2023, Francisco Monteiro stated that “countries like ours, where the need for development is so big, and the only resources we have to use are oil and gas. Therefore, we have to develop them somehow. Of course, in Timor-Leste, we are aware of the energy transition and are trying to introduce other energy sources. Still, at the same time, even in the oil and gas sector, we are introducing ways and mechanisms to reduce the effects of carbon, such as carbon capture and storage.”

In his opening speech, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, President-Designate of COP28 and Minister of the United Arab Emirates, urged industry, often seen as part of the problem, to be part of the solution to energy challenges, stating that this is the opportunity to show the world the essential role it plays.