Quad countries, Australia, India, Japan, and the United States held a historic meeting where, for the first time in the group’s 18-year history, energy ministers convened.
Taking part in the meeting was U.S. Secretary of Energy, Jennifer M. Granholm, noting that the Biden Administration is working towards expanding Quad’s security mission to address 21st-century threats including climate change.
“Yesterday’s meeting was a historic moment where Quad energy ministers, for the first time, had the opportunity to chart the next steps forward on our shared vision for a clean energy transition in the Indo Pacific,” said Secretary Granholm. “The Quad has proven itself as an important partnership working to advance broad foreign policy priorities, and I look forward to the progress we will collectively make to strengthen and enhance the global deployment of energy that is clean, affordable, and secure.”
Secretary Granholm was joined by India’s Minister of Power and New and Renewable Energy RK Singh, Australia’s Minister for Climate Change and Clean Energy Chris Bowen, and the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry Koichi Hagiuda.
At this meeting, ministers from Quad countries discussed progress under the Quad Clean Energy Innovation and Deployment work program that has been under development since the beginning of the Biden Administration, including clean energy supply chains, cooperation to minimize methane emissions in the natural gas sector and developing clean hydrogen and fuel ammonia.
Ministers affirmed their shared commitment to accelerate the development and deployment of the zero-emissions technologies necessary to drive a clean energy transition, recognizing not only that a clean energy future will advance prosperity across the Indo-Pacific and beyond, but will also mitigate against energy supply disruptions.
Ministers noted the significant bilateral agreements between Quad countries on hydrogen and fuel ammonia, which align with the Quad work program, and agreed that the goals of these bilateral partnerships would be furthered if hydrogen production costs are rapidly driven down, welcoming the efforts of Quad members in this regard, including the United States’ goal of achieving production costs of $1.00 per kilogram of green hydrogen by the end of the decade. Among these four countries, the volume of low emissions hydrogen in the market could exceed 25 million tons by 2030 in line with the International Energy Agency’s global roadmap to net zero by 2050.
Following the 2022 Quad Leaders’ Tokyo Summit, the leaders issued a joint statement: “Recognizing the urgent need to address climate change as emphasized in the latest IPCC reports, we will steadfastly implement the Paris
“Agreement and deliver on the outcomes of COP26, accelerating our efforts to raise global ambition, including reaching out to key stakeholders in the Indo-Pacific region and supporting, strengthening, and enhancing climate actions by partners in the region including through mobilizing climate finance, both public and private, and facilitating the research, development, and deployment of innovative technology.”
Source: Rigzone.com
