Stephanie Duran joined the Asia Natural Gas & Energy Association (ANGEA) after a long career with the United States Department of Energy. We caught up with Stephanie to find out what interested her about ANGEA, what she’s excited to be working on and what her life looks like away from the energy world.
Please tell us a little bit about who Stephanie Duran is?Â
I grew up on the East Coast of the United States and served 25 years with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), working both on fossil energy and carbon management initiatives, as well as on key national security programs supporting the U.S. nuclear security agenda.
I’ve now spent almost eight years living in Asia, serving two diplomatic tours in China as the Energy Attaché before moving to Singapore in August 2024.
I enjoy thinking outside the box and developing, testing and refining strategies to engage stakeholders and build consensus across sometimes competing interests. The most rewarding part of my career has been direct collaboration with governments on a wide range of issues aimed at protecting national security and driving economic growth, while strengthening energy security and climate resilience.
I am a strong believer in setting a culture of continuous improvement, mission alignment, and shared accountability, which, in my experience, leads to teams that perform well and enjoy working together.
What interested you most about joining ANGEA?Â
I’m  thrilled to have joined a talented team at ANGEA, which is advancing a critical mission that sits at the intersection of energy security, economic growth, and decarbonisation. I’ve followed ANGEA from afar since launch, believe strongly in this work and feel that my skills and experience will fit well.
Much of my career has been spent working with governments through both bilateral and multilateral mechanisms on technical and policy initiatives, geared at energy transition and decarbonisation.  The success of these initiatives has often been tied to strong public-private partnerships.
I am enjoying working with and learning from the ANGEA team, tapping into the toolkit from my government days to build new partnerships and strengthen existing ones between government and industry.
It has definitely been a busy first two months in the role. These are pivotal and challenging times globally, and the energy landscape has been evolving rapidly. But challenges present opportunities, and I believe that there are lessons learned  from the changing geopolitical climate.  Capitalising on lessons learned early, while remaining agile and adaptable, can help build Asia develop a more resilient energy security posture moving forward.
What topics or policy areas are you excited about working on?Â
I am excited to advocate for LNG as a key fuel for Southeast Asia and Asia more broadly, and to promote energy trade across the Asia-Pacific region and globally. The importance of Asia-Pacific is only growing in the global context.
I’m very passionate about the role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) to support progress on global climate targets, including decarbonising the natural gas value chain.
With the right mix of technology, supportive policies, and strategic investments, CCS can play a pivotal role in this region’s decarbonisation journey.
What do you see as being the biggest energy challenges for Asia – in the near-term and over coming decades?Â
Shorter-term, there are a lot of moving parts to the energy puzzle in Asia. We have emerging demand factors such as AI and data centres, and we also have significant geopolitical events in the Middle East that have affected markets and energy flow. Energy security is a very strong focus for Asia right now. Events of the past few months have highlighted the importance of diverse LNG supply in ensuring gas is available to all countries who seek to use it.
The biggest long-term challenge is how we meet rising energy demand in Asia affordably, while also reducing emissions. South and Southeast Asia are the two fastest-growing regions in the world economically, and demand for power is expanding accordingly. It is clear that natural gas will be critical to both energy security and the energy transition for this region and that significant supply of LNG is required throughout the next few decades. It is paramount that LNG-exporting nations commit to ongoing production that ensures long-term availability and affordability of supply.
What does life outside of work (and the energy space) look like for you?Â
I have two young sons, aged 7 and 5, who keep me very active and busy.
We enjoy traveling and exploring new places as a family. My husband and I met through scuba diving, and I can’t wait until my boys are old enough to get certified so we can incorporate more diving into our travel.
My hobby is interior design, and it is not unusual for me to spend what little free time I have at home making mood boards and redesigning the rooms in our home.
ANGEA works with works governments, industries and communities in Asia, providing affordable solutions that promote energy security, economic growth and decarbonisation.
