Session 6: Creating Opportunities Through Battery Management and Circularity

Ms. Cindy Cisneros Tiangco, Director, Emerging Areas, Energy Sector Office, Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Ms. Tiangco's innovative work has been instrumental in several firsts in ADB’s energy sector operations and helped pave the way for significant renewable energy development in the region. As Director of Energy Emerging Areas, she is focusing on frontier energy, storage and grid technologies, and cross-sector collaboration to deploy integrated solutions in the energy-transport-water-urban-agriculture-digital and climate nexus. Mr. Tiangco led the design of Uzbekistan’s International Solar Energy Institute and its solar roadmap that led to gigawatt scale deployment. She catalyzed the first solar project in Afghanistan, conceptualized the first energy financial intermediation project in Armenia, and introduced the RE auction mechanism in Kazakhstan. Cindy pioneered floating PV (FPV) in ADB, and her pilot projects in Azerbaijan and Kyrgyztan are scaling up. Ms. Tiangco led ADB’s first energy projects, particularly the marine FPV projects in Kiribati and Tuvalu. Ms. Tiangco is an Electrical Engineer with a Master and PhD in engineering.

Ms. Yeonju (June) Jeong, Asia-Pacific Lead, Sustainable Mobility Unit, UNEP

Ms. Jeong is the Asia-Pacific Regional Lead for Sustainable Mobility at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). She manages UNEP’s sustainable mobility portfolio across the region, covering electric mobility, clean fuels, and transport decarbonization. Since joining UNEP in 2017, she has co-developed and scaled global programs, including the Global Electric Mobility Programme now active in more than 60 countries. Before joining UNEP, she worked at Seoul National University’s Urban Planning Research Institute, where she led feasibility studies and infrastructure assessments for major public-sector clients. She holds an M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Seoul National University and a B.S. in Mass Communication from Yonsei University.

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Mr. Yu Tack Kim, Adjunct Professor, Department of Battery Engineering, Dongshin University

Mr. Kim obtained Ph. D degree in new materials engineering in YONSEI University. Currently, he is an adjunct professor in Battery Engineering School of DongShin University and CEO of BET (Battery Energy Technology), as well as a battery energy storage consultant for the multilateral development banks and other organizations. He has worked more than 23 years as a research engineer in battery applications such as EVs and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) in the Republic of Korea. Previously, Mr. Kim was division director of the Korea Battery Industry Association & Korea Battery R&D Association for 2nd Life battery test and Clean Battery recycle technology laboratory. He is expert for battery standard at IEC, ISO and consultant for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indonesia, as well as at PIC and the World Bank group as a BESS safety guideline editor.

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Mr. Eko Adji Buwono, Project Coordinator, GEF-UNDP-Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources project 'Enhancing Readiness for the Transition to Electric Vehicles in Indonesia' (ENTREV), Indonesia

Mr. Buwono is a Technology and Socio-Environmental expert with more than 27 years’ experience of high technology industries in several multinational companies and organizations, namely IBM Indonesia, Unilever Singapore, UOB Singapore and an Indonesia SOE of Gas Group - PT. PGN, Tbk, and UNIDO (United Nations Industrial and Development Organization). Currently he works as the Project Coordinator of the 'Enhancing Readiness for the Transition to Electric Vehicles in Indonesia' (ENTREV) project (a collaboration project between UNDP and Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Republic of Indonesia). He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Institute of Technology Indonesia (ITI) – Serpong, Indonesia.

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Mr. Abdul Hakim Bin Ab Rahim, National Project Manager, GEF-UNIDO-Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC) project 'Accelerating the Adoption and Scale-up of Climate-Smart Transport' (AASCT), MGTC, Malaysia

Mr. Rahim, Ph.D., serves as the Head of Sector Decarbonization and the National Project Manager for the GEF7-UNIDO Accelerating the Adoption and Scale-Up of Climate-Smart Transport (AASCT) project under the Climate Action Division at the Malaysian Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (MGTC). With a strong academic foundation and research specialization in engineering and energy storage, Mr. Rahim leads key national initiatives under the Low Carbon Mobility Blueprint (LCMB) as part of the 12th Malaysia Plan. In his leadership capacity, he oversees policy research and advocacy efforts aimed at accelerating the uptake of energy-efficient vehicles, promoting electric vehicle adoption, encouraging the use of greener alternative fuels, and supporting the transition towards low-carbon mobility.

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Mr. Sent Raiya, First Assistant Secretary, Department of Transport, Papua New Guinea

Mr. Raiya is a First Assistant Secretary with the Papua New Guinea Department of Transport. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Papua New Guinea, a Diploma in Economic Policy Analysis from National Research Institution and is currently completing a Master of Leadership in Development at Divine Word University in Papua New Guinea. With more than 18 years of work experience in transport policy and sector planning, he has supported major national initiatives on sustainable mobility. He has also completed specialized trainings funded by JICA and the Asian Development Bank. Mr. Raiya currently leads Papua New Guinea’s E-Mobility Readiness Project, funded by the Green Climate Fund, overseeing efforts to advance electric mobility and battery management.

Presentation slides available here