Joint Statement Between the U.S. & Australia on the 2024 Ministerial Dialogue on Clean Energy

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1. United States Secretary for Power, Jennifer Granholm, and Australian Minister for Local weather Change and Power, Chris Bowen, held the second United States-Australia Ministerial Dialogue on Clear Power on the margins of the G20 Power Transitions Ministerial in Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil on October 4, 2024.

2. The Ministerial Dialogue on Clear Power marked the fruits of a yr of progress since its inaugural assembly to appreciate the shared dedication to raise local weather and clear power cooperation to the third pillar of our alliance, as set forth by leaders in Might 2023 via the Local weather, Important Minerals and Clear Power Transformation Compact (Compact) and bolstered by Prime Minister Albanese’s conferences with President Biden in Washington in October 2023 and Delaware in September 2024.

3. Ministers mentioned the necessity to work collectively to assist and safe clear photo voltaic provide chains, which can leverage each international locations’ vital investments and complementary assets of their respective photo voltaic industries in assist of our leaders’ intent to collaborate on clear power provide chains. As a primary step to investigating the feasibility of an end-to-end photo voltaic provide chain, Ministers famous their intent to conduct and report on techno-economic market research on the photo voltaic trade, together with polysilicon processing and commerce. This work will leverage photo voltaic cooperation between ARENA and the U.S. Division of Power (DOE), and the Australia–U.S. Clear Power Business Council.

4. Ministers acknowledged the numerous financial alternatives of the worldwide clear power transformation to web zero by mid-century. They emphasised that each international locations’ vital investments of their renewable power industries, via the US Inflation Discount Act and Australia’s Future Made in Australia plan respectively, provided unparalleled alternatives for collaboration to form a reworked world power future. Ministers voiced their expectation that, via the Compact, joint U.S.–Australia efforts would assist companions within the Indo-Pacific as they meet their decarbonization and provide chain diversification objectives.

5. Ministers reaffirmed that the local weather disaster represents the existential problem of our time and dedicated to even nearer cooperation to attain a completely or predominantly carbon pollution-free energy sector by 2035, web zero greenhouse fuel emissions by 2050, reaffirming the Paris Settlement temperature objective and reiterating our resolve to pursue deep, speedy and sustained reductions in greenhouse fuel emissions to maintain 1.5°C inside attain.  In assist of final yr’s G20 chief’s dedication to tripling renewable power and doubling power effectivity by 2030, each international locations acknowledged the necessity for speedy world deployment of unpolluted power applied sciences this decade, together with assist for world objectives for power storage within the energy sector of 1500 GW by 2030 and pursuing a 1.5°C-aligned objective for grids modernization and buildout to make sure speedy and dependable electrical energy supply to these most in want.  Each international locations additionally reaffirmed the work of the Carbon Administration Problem to assist a worldwide objective of advancing carbon administration initiatives that might collectively attain gigatonne scale by 2030. The US welcomed Australia’s bid to host COP31 in 2026 in partnership with Pacific international locations, noting its alternatives to speed up world local weather motion and clear power transition.

6. Ministers introduced Australia as a global collaborator of the usDOE’s Lengthy Length Storage Shot™, a crucial a part of the bold Power Earthshots™ Initiative.  Australia and the US intend to work collectively in direction of world ambition according to the Lengthy Length Storage Shot™, considering nationwide circumstances, via the Compact to pursue progressive breakthroughs that drive down know-how prices for lengthy length power storage, speed up decarbonization of the electrical grid, and be sure that a clear power future is accessible and inexpensive for all communities.  Each international locations plan to satisfy yearly and share finest apply, methods and progress. Ministers additionally mentioned curiosity in future work collectively on upgrading houses and decreasing power payments and famous Australia’s curiosity within the Inexpensive Dwelling Power Shot™ below the Power Earthshots Initiative for potential future collaboration.

7. Moreover, Ministers mentioned vital progress in direction of the implementation of key initiatives below the Compact, steering the longer term course of our power partnership, together with via:

• • Commencing two initiatives below the Internet Zero Expertise Acceleration Partnership (NZTAP), supported via joint funding by the Australian and U.S. Governments. Agreed initiatives embody:
    • Impartial System Operator Technical Secondment program co-delivered by the U.S. Nationwide Renewable Power Laboratory (NREL) and the Australian Power Market Operator which is able to assist each international locations to function fashionable, safe and dependable grids to accommodate elevated renewable power and power storage over coming many years.
    • Grid Integration of Utility Scale Batteries evaluation report by NREL and CSIRO, to handle the pressing must retailer and dispatch cleaner power.
  • Settlement to resume a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between CSIRO and NREL, which is able to present a robust basis to deepen know-how R&D cooperation focussed on clear power sectors.
  • Dedication to signal an MOU between the U.S. DOE and ARENA this yr. The MoU encompasses know-how cooperation and data sharing, which can embody renewable power, power storage, distributed power assets, hydrogen, and First Nations Engagement.
  • Intent to carry an inaugural Dialogue on Partaking Tribal and First Nations Peoples within the Power Transition in October 2024.
  • Progress in negotiations on a U.S. DOE attaché place in Canberra.
  • Dedication to carry the inaugural Australia-U.S. Clear Power Business Council in 2025. The Business Council will set up a sturdy structure for enterprise connections and can draw on the experience of stakeholders to advise on clear power trade improvement and cooperation.
  • Institution of ongoing technical exchanges on commerce and local weather points between the Australian DCCEEW and the U.S. DOE. As Leaders recalled in October 2023, Australia and the U.S. are dedicated to coverage trade on emissions accounting methodologies and emissions-intensity knowledge to assist our shared local weather and inexperienced industrial objectives.
  • Recognition of the continued work via technical exchanges on methodology and knowledge with the White Home Local weather and Commerce Taskforce.

8. Ministers famous the importance of the annual senior official Australia-United States Power Safety Dialogue. They welcomed officers’ intent to carry the following Dialogue in the US in 2025 and proceed to make use of the Compact Motion Plan to drive bold options to shared challenges on power provide chains.