WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, July 17, 2020, U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and Indian Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Steel Dharmendra Pradhan co-chaired a virtual ministerial meeting of the U.S.-India Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP), now at the two-year mark, to review progress and prioritize new areas for cooperation.

During their June 2017 summit, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi recognized the importance of energy to the U.S.-India Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership and called for a new strategic energy partnership. At their direction, the Department of Energy and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas established the Strategic Energy Partnership (SEP) in April 2018 to expand and elevate longstanding energy cooperation through both government and industry channels. The sides are working to enhance energy security, expand energy and innovation linkages, and facilitate increased industry and stakeholder engagement, including through the U.S.-India Gas Task Force. The SEP organizes cooperation through four technical pillars focused on Oil and Gas, Power and Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, and Sustainable Growth. In addition to these technical pillars, the sides continue R&D engagement on smart grids and energy storage, new R&D in advanced coal technologies, and R&D on civil nuclear cooperation, and are pursuing new public-private engagement on hydrogen technologies.

The sides released a joint statement outlining some of the major accomplishments since the SEP was launched two years ago as well as priorities for new work, demonstrating the depth and breadth of the bilateral partnership in tackling energy challenges, exploring novel technologies of the future, and advancing commercial opportunities to the strategic and economic benefits of both countries.

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