Joint Statement Following the Bilateral Meeting of U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk and Flavia Gabriela Royon, Minister of Energy of the Ministry of Economy of Argentina

Secretary Royon and Deputy Secretary Turk met this morning to discuss the current state of energy cooperation between the United States of America and the Argentine Republic, as well as how to expand the long history of working together in additional areas of mutual interest.

They reaffirmed their bilateral commitment to continue working together to accelerate the transition to clean energy, especially in the energy sector, as a key element in improving the energy security of both countries and addressing climate change in line with the global goals of the Paris Agreement.

The energy transformation of the United States and the Argentine Republic is based on the shared goals of expanding access to clean, safe and affordable energy sources that can create millions of well-paying jobs and promote economic prosperity in both countries.

Deputy Secretary Turk and Secretary Royon discussed how the two countries can best use their technical expertise to build clean energy infrastructure and supply chains among trusted partners, in particular to further expand carbon-free technologies using hydrogen and lithium. In this regard, both officials emphasized the strategic importance of developing the lithium value chain in Argentina so that the region and the world can advance their energy transformation. To this end, the two officials explored partnerships between the Argentine Republic and the United States on sustainable and responsible supply chains for critical minerals.

The Argentine Republic reaffirmed the role of natural gas in its just energy transition. Both sides agreed on the growing importance in planning and strategic orientation of energy development.and integration of renewable energy systems, including stabilization, increased flexibility and expansion of power transmission systems.

Building on this dialogue, Under Secretary Turk and Secretary Royon discussed deepening cooperation through the Net Zero World (NZW) initiative, of which the Argentine Republic is a founding partner. Launched at COP 26 in Glasgow, NZW will unlock US government technical resources for partnership Republic Argentina in achieving its goal of a sustainable and inclusive zero-emission energy system. Initially, the partnership will focus on a sector-wide analysis of ways to identify energy modernization opportunities that will attract investment and create jobs for the people of the Argentine Republic, as well as feasibility studies and options to reduce consumer electricity bills through energy efficiency measures..

Deputy Secretary Turk and Secretary RoyOn announced that technical teams from the United States and Argentina would meet in Buenos Aires and La Pampa in early April to continue this work. Next, Secretary RoyOn and Undersecretary Turk agreed to work together to bring the G20 energy ministers’ meeting to a successful conclusion in July in Goa, as well as to work in support of India’s G20 Presidency.

Deputy Secretary Turk and Secretary RoyOn recognized the importance of decarbonizing the natural gas sector, reduction of methane leakage and flaring, increased efforts to develop and implement emission reduction technologies for gas systems and, in this sense, cooperate with the industry as we strive to diversify global supply away from malicious actors. Both reaffirmed their commitment to achieving zero emissions by 2050, in accordance with the terms of their respective NDCs.

The meeting included meaningful discussions on how the United States and the Argentine Republic can deepen their clean energy collaboration to drive and scale clean energy development in both countries and across the Americas.