By Suria Rina PHA Minister of Energy Pehin Dato Awang Haji Yahya during the talk (3rd L). The Brunei Energy Association (BEnA) held a talk on "Energy Conservation and New Energy Development" yesterday at Indera Kayangan Ballroom, Empire Hotel and Country Club in Jerudong. Two speakers from Japan, Toshihiko Tanaka of Tokyo Electric Power Inc and Hideto Nishimura of Mitsubishi Corporation, were on hand to present talks on "Concept of Energy Conservation" and "New and Renewable Energy" respectively. Minister of Energy and BEnA advisor Pehin Dato Awang Haji Yahya was present at the event as the guest of honour. The minister, in his speech, highlighted the importance of conserving energy, though he also acknowledged the difficulty in doing so in countries that have abundant sources of energy such as Brunei. "Changing people's belief in energy conservation is going to be an ongoing challenge for us at the Energy Division of the Prime Minister's Office," he said. Also present at the talk were Deputy Minister of Industry and Primary Resources Dato Hj Hamdillah, BEnA president Haji Zainal Abidin Haji Mohd Ali as well as BEnA members and invited guests. Meanwhile, the association, which invited secondary and college students in the country to participate in an essay-writing contest last April, presented prizes to the winners. On hand to present the cash prizes and award certificates was Minister of Energy Pehin Dato Awang Haji Yahya at the Indera Kayangan Ballroom, Empire Hotel and Country Club. The contest, entitled "Awareness of the Importance of Energy Conservation", was participated by over 50 students. Zizian Eyon binti Hamlan of St George's School snatched the top spot in Category 1 (11-14 years) while Lim Hung Ming from Maktab Sains Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan was the winner in Category 2 (15-18 years).