Secretary Chu Announces New Partnerships under the
Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas
Apr 15, 2010 -- Energy Department Documents and Publications/ContentWorks
The U.S. Department of Energy today announced a series of partnerships
and other initiatives to address clean energy and energy security in the
Western Hemisphere as part of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the
Americas (ECPA). Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced new projects
focused on clean energy cooperation, technical assistance and financing,
renewable energy, and electricity infrastructure and earthquake
preparedness.
"Dozens of countries from across the Americas have come together today
to promote clean energy future for our Hemisphere," said Secretary Chu.
"By expanding our cooperation and collaboration on key energy and
climate issues, we will lay a foundation for broad-based economic growth
while helping to protect our environment."
Energy ministers and delegations from 32 countries gathered at the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) in Washington, DC on Thursday for
the start of the two-day Energy and Climate Ministerial of the Americas.
Energy officials joined with more than 200 businesses and
non-governmental organizations to advance initiatives under ECPA that
will help countries across the Hemisphere develop and deploy clean
energy technologies and achieve low carbon economic growth.
The projects announced today include efforts to advance electricity
interconnections in the Caribbean, support biomass development in
Colombia, promote earthquake-resistant energy infrastructure, and create
an Energy Innovation Center at the IDB to expand project development and
financing.
ECPA was launched last year during the Fifth Summit of the Americas,
when President Obama and Western Hemisphere leaders committed to expand
energy and climate cooperation in the Hemisphere as part of a joint
effort to ensure economic growth and prosperity by developing clean
energy resources, increasing energy security and reducing energy
poverty. ECPA is part an innovative approach to regional partnerships
that includes the involvement of the private sector and civil society
and aims to maximize each country's unique strengths and resources to
find new ways to produce and use energy.
Below are summaries of the new initiatives and partnerships announced
today:
* Advancing a Caribbean Electrical Grid Interconnection: In support of a
Caribbean Sustainable Energy Working Group, the Department of Energy
will provide technical support, including hosting a workshop to begin
exploring the potential for a Caribbean-wide transmission system that
would provide the region with access to electricity from renewable
energy sources. By connecting electricity systems across Caribbean
nations, the region can develop economies of scale and larger
electricity markets, which can help to facilitate the transition to
renewable energy, reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels and make
the island economies more secure. During the workshop, DOE technical
experts, including specialists from the National Laboratories, will
facilitate a discussion on ways to develop policies, regulations and
standards to ensure the use of safe, reliable and efficient power.
* Launching an IDB Innovation Center: The Department of Energy and the
Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) signed an agreement creating an
Energy Innovation Center that will allow DOE and IDB to coordinate
resources to facilitate regional projects and activities. The Center
will serve as a focal point for project development and financing in the
region and will be able to access the IDB's annual energy financing
pipeline of approximately $3 billion. The Center will be staffed by both
DOE and IDB employees and will include week-long trips by subject matter
specialists to the region to assess potential projects. The IDB
Innovation Center is the latest in a series of Regional Clean Energy
Centers throughout the Hemisphere, including a Costa Rican Energy
Efficiency Training Center, a Wind Center in Mexico, an Energy
Efficiency Center in Peru, and a Renewable Energy Center in Chile.
* Developing Biomass Resources in Colombia: Under its Low Carbon
Communities of the Americas initiative, the Department of Energy
announced a project titled "Forming a Research, Development and
Innovation Hub with Expertise in the Sustainable Energy Use of the
Biomass in Colombia." The project will partner DOE and National
Laboratory experts with scientists and technology experts in Colombia
that are involved in on-going research on sugarcane, palm oil and
petroleum to help identify, evaluate and promote technologies for
sustainable biomass use in Colombia. The project, which is being
developed by the government of Colombia and supported by DOE, is
focusing on developing a technological plan for power generation through
heating sugarcane and palm residues at very high temperatures. This
combined heat and power process will be able to be used for high
efficiency gas-fired engines or gas turbines.
* Hosting an Earthquake Preparedness Workshop: In response to recent
earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and Mexico that highlighted vulnerabilities
to energy infrastructure, the Department of Energy announced that it
will host an earthquake preparedness workshop, bringing together leaders
in the region to hear from experts, including U.S. National
Laboratories, on hazard characterization, risk-informed structural
seismic design standards, advanced simulation capabilities for both
ground motion estimation and structural response. DOE's effort will
build on a U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) initiative focused
on the deployment of suitable communications and monitoring system
technologies for earth
* Affirming Commitment to Clean Energy Cooperation: The Department of
Energy and Argentina's Ministry for Federal Planning, Public Investment,
and Services signed a Memorandum of Understanding that promotes
cooperation between the Department of Energy and the Argentine Energy
Secretariat on clean energy technologies. The new Binational Energy
Working Group is developing additional areas for cooperation.
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