Key facts
- Kao Kim Hourn said ASEAN member states should consider a regional petroleum reserve.
- He said the reserve would help manage supply shortages and rising fuel prices.
- The proposal was made in an interview with Nikkei; no member state has acted on it.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations should consider establishing a petroleum reserve for the region to manage supply shortages and rising fuel prices, in an interview with Nikkei published on November 13, 2026 JST.
The body reports no decision by any ASEAN member state on the proposal and gives no size, funding or timeline for a reserve. The interview was published under a Nikkei dateline of November 13, 2026 at 02:00 JST, which is November 12, 2026 in US Eastern time.