On 4 October, the second Australia-United States Clean Energy Ministerial Dialogue was held by Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen and United States Secretary for Energy, Jennifer Granholm. The dialogue was held on the margins of the G20 Energy Transitions Ministerial in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil.
Marking a year since the inaugural Clean Energy Ministerial Dialogue, Ministers issued a joint statement.
The statement highlights significant progress made under Climate, Critical Minerals and Clean Energy Transformation Compact since Leaders met in Washington in October 2023. The Compact is the primary vehicle for elevating climate and clean energy cooperation under the third pillar of our alliance.
Key progress includes:
- Commencing 2 jointly funded projects under the Net Zero Technology Acceleration Partnership on grid modernisation and battery integration
- Committing to sign a MoU between ARENA and the US Department of Energy (DoE) this year
- Renewing the CSIRO-NREL MoU
- Establishing ongoing technical exchanges on trade and climate issues, including emissions accounting
- Intention to hold an inaugural Dialogue on Engaging Tribal and First Nations Peoples in the Energy Transition this year
- Committing to hold the inaugural Australia-US Clean Energy Industry Council in 2025.
Ministers also affirmed the ambition for new areas of cooperation including:
- Supporting and securing clean solar supply chains, commencing with domestic techno-economic feasibility studies
- Australia joining the US DoE’s Long Duration Storage Shot, with a view to agreeing joint bilateral projects.
Australia and the United States will continue to work together to advance our shared climate and green industrial goals through the third pillar of the alliance. The annual Clean Energy Ministerial Dialogue encourages continued leadership and cooperation on climate change and clean energy between our countries.