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Focus Areas

Multilateral cooperation

Accelerating CCS Technologies (ACT): ACT is an international initiative to facilitate RD&D and innovation on CO2 capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS). Fourteen members are working together with the ambition to fund world-class RD&D innovation that can lead to safe and cost-effective CCUS technology. The participating members are: Emissions Reduction Alberta (Canada), Danish Energy Agency, France, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, Nordic Energy Research, Norway (ACT coordinator), Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States.

Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM): CEM is a high-level global forum to promote policies and programs that advance clean energy technology, to share lessons learned and best practices, and to encourage the transition to a global clean energy economy.

Initiatives are based on areas of common interest among participating governments and other stakeholders.

The CEM CCUS Initiative strengthens the framework for public-private collaboration on CCUS, while complementing the efforts and adding coordinated value beyond the activities of existing organizations and initiatives, such as the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF), International Energy Agency (IEA), IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEAGHG), Oil and Gas Climate Initiative (OGCI), Mission Innovation (MI), and Global CCS Institute (GCCSI). Its objective is to accelerate CCUS as a viable CO2 mitigation option; facilitate diffusion of knowledge on technologies, regulations, and policies; and lead to strategic partnerships to accelerate both near- and longer-term investment in CCUS to advance global deployment by making it more competitive. The United States, through DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy, co-leads the Initiative along with Norway, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom.

Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF): Established in 2003, the CSLF is a multilateral initiative focused on the development of improved cost-effective technologies for carbon capture and storage, and provides a platform countries to coordinate research and activities. It also promotes awareness and champions legal, regulatory, financial, and institutional environments conducive to such technologies. The CSLF comprises 26 members, including 25 countries and the European Commission. The United States, through DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy, serves as the executive secretariat and Chair of the Policy Group.

International Energy Agency (IEA): IEA is an autonomous organization within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that works to ensure reliable, affordable and clean energy for its 29 member countries and beyond. It is at the heart of global dialogue on energy, providing authoritative and unbiased research, statistics, analysis, and recommendations. The United States, through DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy, currently chairs the IEA Working Party on Fossil Energy (IEA WPFE).

IEA Technology Collaboration Programs:

  • IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEAGHG): IEAGHG is an international collaborative research program established in 1991 to evaluate technologies that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions derived from the use of fossil fuels.  It is now the world’s preeminent CCS research organization, spanning the work of over 1500 researchers across the globe. The United States, through DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy, sits on the Executive Committee of the IEAGHG.
  • IEA Clean Coal Centre (IEACCC): IEACCC is one of the world's foremost providers of information on the clean and efficient use of coal worldwide, particularly clean coal technologies, in a balanced and objective way, without political or commercial bias. Products include in-depth topical reports and literature reviews. The IEACCC also provides advice, facilitates R&D networks and organizes general and thematic technical workshops and conferences. The United States, through DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy, currently chairs the Executive Committee of the IEACCC.

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC): APEC is the premier forum to facilitate economic growth, cooperation, trade, and investment in the Asia-Pacific region, which comprises 23 economies. It was established in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific economies and the advent of regional trade blocs in other parts of the world. The United States, through DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy, chairs the Expert Group on Clean Fossil Energy (EGCFE) under the Energy Working Group (EWG).

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC): APEC is the premier forum to facilitate economic growth, cooperation, trade, and investment in the Asia-Pacific region, which comprises 23 economies. It was established in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific economies and the advent of regional trade blocs in other parts of the world. The United States, through DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy, chairs the Expert Group on Clean Fossil Energy (EGCFE) under the Energy Working Group (EWG).

Bilateral Cooperation 

The Office of Fossil Energy has ongoing formal collaborative relationships with countries in every region of the world and the European Union. FE actively manages a broad portfolio of bilateral agreements with Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Norway, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom, and other countries, which focus on advancing technology in areas of mutual interest and optimizing collaborations to accelerate RD&D. International partnerships range from countries that rely heavily on coal for power generation, to regions such as the Middle East with large industrial sectors and significant oil and gas production, and to likeminded countries around the globe that have both strong RD&D programs to support advanced power systems demonstrations.

Several of FE’s key bilateral relationships include the following countries and areas of engagement:

  • Norway: Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on energy RD&D. Areas of cooperation include large-scale CO2 capture, CO2 storage and EOR, and cross-cutting technologies.
  • Saudi Arabia: MOU on CCUS and clean fossil fuels. R&D collaboration on CO2 utilization, enhanced water recovery (EWR), and supercritical CO2 power cycles.
  • United Kingdom: MOU and implementing agreement on fossil energy and energy technology. Areas of cooperation include crosscutting technologies, materials, and CCUS.
  • China: Discussions underway to explore mutual interest in preparation for the mutually intended renewal of the Fossil Energy Protocol (FEP) following the renewal of U.S.-China Science and Technology Agreement (STA) in 2018. U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center (CERC) - Advanced Coal Technology Consortium will wrap up a 10-year public-private partnership in CCUS R&D by the end of 2020.  
  • India: Under the U.S.-India Strategic Economic Dialogue (SEP), DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy co-chairs the Power & Energy Efficiency Pillar, under which discussions are held on clean fossil energy technologies and CCUS are held and joint commercial projects are pursued.  Also, R&D collaboration is being developed under the Partnership on Clean Energy Research-Demonstration (PACE-R) initiative on CCUS, advanced coal technologies, and supercritical CO2 power cycles.
  • Japan: Memorandum of Cooperation on CCUS amended in 2017 to emphasize CO2 utilization and CCUS project development. U.S.-Japan Strategic Energy Partnership (JUSEP) focuses on U.S.-Japan collaboration in advancing energy infrastructure in a third country, especially those in Indo-Pacific. U.S.-Japan Energy Cooperation Working Group (ECWG) manages the energy component of the U.S.-Japan Economic Dialogue, focusing mainly on the bilateral energy trade, investment and commercial engagement. Both JUSEP and ECWG were launched in 2017.
  • South Korea: STA extended in 2016. Annual Energy Policy Dialogue ongoing (EPD). MOU on CCUS expires in 2019 with option to extend, which was NOT discussed in EPD in May 2019, given the uncertainties in Korean government’s CCUS policy. NETL- Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) MOU on fossil energy technologies focuses on lab-to-lab information exchange. NETL and KIER are also working to finalize cooperative research and development agreements on methane hydrates and CCS modeling and simulation.

In addition to bilateral cooperation, FE also engages with Canada and Mexico under the North American Energy Ministers Trilateral (NAEMT).