Following two successful years of an accelerated green transition, the U.S. expands clean energy cooperation by deepening ties with several countries to strengthen energy security and support a global shift towards sustainable practices.
Strengthening Regional Energy and Clean Tech Supply Chains – Brazil and Chile
In October, the International Energy Agency (IEA) convened ministers and key global voices at G20 for the first meeting to discuss fair and affordable clean energy transitions, in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil. The IEA launched the key policy design considerations for affordable and fair transitions at the meeting, which outlines seven major questions around affordability and fairness in clean energy transitions and presents best practices to address the issues. Over the next phase leading up to the COP30 climate summit, Commission members are tasked with collaborating on an implementation roadmap.
Brazil
While convening in Brazil, the Secretary of Energy of the United States, Jennifer Granholm, and the Federative Republic of Brazil’s Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, met at the U.S.-Brazil Energy Forum (USBEF) to discuss the deepening of ties between the two countries. Following the meeting, the pair announced new, joint initiatives on clean energy, as well as renewed their commitment to advance a just and inclusive energy transition. They stressed the importance of continued collaboration between the two countries, as the two biggest economies in the Americas and as major clean energy producers.
The U.S. and Brazil have agreed to continue collaboration on clean hydrogen; launch new cooperation to bring clean energy to remote communities in the Amazon; work together to launch Clean Energy Hubs to promote innovation and deployment of clean hydrogen and carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS); and strengthen cooperation on carbon and methane management. The two countries aim to leverage cooperation under the USBEF to expand the exchange of information and lessons learned from the implementation of their respective climate and clean energy policies to achieve their shared net zero emissions aims by 2050.
Chile
Since the launch of the IRA, the U.S. government has sought to strengthen its regional supply chains, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. As China continues to dominate much of the global green energy and cleantech market, contributing around two-thirds of lithium production for example, the U.S. is looking to counter this dominance by strengthening regional ties with energy and mineral producers.
In March, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen emphasized the government’s aim to deepen ties with Chile, which is a major producer of critical minerals such as copper and lithium, to support an accelerated green transition. During a visit to the South American country, Yellen stated, “The United States is focused on deepening ties with trusted partners like Chile and building resilient and reliable clean energy supply chains through investments at home in the U.S. and abroad.” Yellen also stressed Chile’s key role in the critical mineral supply chain.
Deepening Existing Ties – the EU
In addition to fostering regional partnerships, the U.S. is continuing to deepen its existing energy ties with long-standing allies. In April, at the sixth ministerial meeting of the Trade and Technology Council (TTC) between the U.S. and the EU, the two powers built upon existing efforts to enhance trade and technology cooperation.
At the meeting, the TTC stated plans to continue to exchange information on international standardization activities for critical and emerging technologies via the Strategic Standardization Information (SSI) mechanism. The Council emphasized that “We have facilitated commonly recognized international standards for the rollout of megawatt charging systems for heavy-duty vehicle charging points, and joint work of European and United States standardization bodies on plastics recycling and additive manufacturing.”
Expanding the Reach – Australia
The U.S. also aims to expand its reach to support a truly global energy transition. In October, Jennifer Granholm and the Australian Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, held the second U.S.-Australia Ministerial Dialogue on Clean Energy. The meeting marked a year of progress since the inaugural reunion between the two powers, aimed at achieving the shared commitment to elevate climate and clean energy cooperation.
Ministers discussed the need to work together to support and secure clean solar supply chains; announced Australia as an international collaborator of the U.S. DoE’s Long Duration Storage Shot™, a critical part of the ambitious Energy Earthshots™ Initiative; and committed to even closer cooperation to achieve a fully or predominantly carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Having rapidly expanded its renewable energy capacity and clean tech capabilities over the last two years, the U.S. is now seeking to deepen its regional and international energy ties and foster new partnerships to strengthen its energy security and support an accelerated global green transition. The development of strong regional supply chains will decrease the region’s reliance on other parts of the world for critical materials needed for the energy transition. Meanwhile, the deepening of existing ties will help counter the growing dominance of China as a major green energy and cleantech power. Finally, the development of new, long-distance partnerships will expand the role of the U.S. in global energy and help accelerate a global green transition.
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