On the occasion of President Obama’s March 2011 visit to Brazil, President Dilma Rousseff of Brazil and he announced the creation of a Strategic Energy Dialogue (SED) to support the two countries’ common goals of developing safe, secure and affordable supplies of energy for economic growth, energy security, and the transition to a clean energy economy.  Priority areas of cooperation include oil and natural gas, biofuels, renewable energy and energy efficiency, and nuclear energy.  In August 2011, U.S. Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman led an interagency delegation to Brazil to formally launch the Dialogue (/articles/us-and-brazil-launch-strategic-energy-dialogue).  

The United States and Brazil are undertaking collaborative activities with the goal of strengthening our energy relationship, increasing bilateral trade in energy-related goods and services, and enhancing national and shared energy security.  Progress under the SED builds on well-established energy ties between the U.S. and Brazilian public and private sectors, and will help further the energy security, environmental sustainability and economic development goals of each country.  In January, the two governments also committed, through the U.S.-Brazil Commercial Dialogue, to develop a work plan related to the energy sector to further enhance the private sector’s role in strategic energy discussions.  The partnerships resulting from this Dialogue will seek to create jobs in both countries, make energy supplies more secure, and help address the challenge of global climate change.

On April 9, 2012 in Washington, D.C., Presidents Obama and Rousseff reviewed the accomplishments of the presidential-level Dialogue.  On this one-year anniversary of their announcement, Secretary Chu transmitted to President Obama a Joint Report, agreed to by the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Brazil that chairs the SED for Brazil, on the concrete outcomes and next steps of the SED.  The Report identifies activities to date and future initiatives that can advance our cooperation on energy technology and policy issues.  The Department looks forward to deepening the broad spectrum of our cooperation with Brazil in the energy arena, including in science and civilian nuclear security cooperation.

The Joint Report is available here.