U.S Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm recently highlighted the common interests of the U.S. and Australia in the energy sector.
"The interests that the United States and Australia share offer such fertile ground for collaboration—from our unshakeable belief that the world flourishes when democracy and self-determination flourish, to our status as energy exporters," Granholm said in a speech Tuesday, July 12 at the 2022 Sydney Energy Forum.
She singled out the promise of combining technology and energy production
"Today, we are fossil energy exporters to neighbors and partners around the world," Granholm said. "Tomorrow, we can use our inherent advantages to become clean energy superpowers—exporting clean hydrogen, solar panels and racks and trackers, wind turbines, small modular reactors and the critical materials and components that make up these technologies."
The transition from fossil fuels to clean energy does not mean the end of the industry, Granholm said.
"This transition does not have to spell the end for today’s fossil fuel companies," she said. "Their products will continue to play a role in the years ahead. And their assets, experience and skilled workforce will play a role for decades to come. As the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has made clear, the only plausible pathways to net-zero involve carbon management solutions—carbon capture and storage, direct air capture, so forth."
The effort will require nations, such as the United States and Australia, to work together, Granholm said.
"We will need our friends to make this work," she said. "And Australia and the United States, along with all democracies all over the world, will always be friends."
