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MANILA, Philippines — Manila and Washington have launched the first US-Philippines Energy Policy Dialogue aimed at deepening cooperation on energy security, energy access, and the transition to clean energy.
In a statement released by the US Embassy over the weekend, delegations from both countries emphasized the centrality of energy security, decarbonization, and collaboration amongst nations with shared values to sustained economic development amid the region’s rapid economic growth and rising energy demands.
“The discussion reinforced the role of energy cooperation in strengthening the US-Philippines partnership and focused on accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, modernizing and expanding transmission, and reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels,” the statement read.
Both delegations reviewed the progress of current energy projects in the Philippines and established priorities for future cooperation and technical support, it added.
The US state department also said both countries reaffirmed the importance of nuclear energy as a key contributor to energy security.
“[They] highlighted ongoing cooperation on small modular reactor capacity building, and discussed next steps to deepening cooperation and moving forward to deployment under the highest standards of nuclear safety, security and nonproliferation,” it said.
Following the inaugural dialogue, US Department of Energy leadership, including Deputy Secretary David Turk and Deputy Assistant Secretary Beth Urbanas, said they will visit the Philippines to continue engagement and partnership on shared energy transition priorities, it added.
‘123 agreement’
Felix William Fuentebella, the Department of Energy’s supervising undersecretary for policy and planning, led the Philippine delegation, while the US delegation was represented by the US state department’s principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources Laura Lochman and the US Department of Energy’s deputy assistant secretary for Asia and the Americas Beth Urbanas.
The high-level dialogue was among the initiatives that were agreed upon during the November 2022 visit of US Vice President Kamala Harris.
Other initiatives include the following:
- the so-called 123 agreement on civil nuclear energy cooperation
- the development support for a nickel and cobalt processing facility capable of refining 20,000 metric tons of nickel and cobalt in the Philippines per year
- the construction of a geothermal power project in Mindanao
- the establishment of an office to coordinate energy projects
- capacity-building in the cybersecurity of critical seaport infrastructure