US-Canada to strengthen energy and resource partnerships

Jonathan Wilkinson, Canadian Minister of Natural Resources and the US Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, discussed advancing global and North American energy security, and shared opportunities to accelerate climate action and the transition to net-zero emissions.

Minister Wilkinson spoke with key US officials about ways to strengthen collaboration on critical minerals, clean hydrogen, nuclear technologies, carbon removal and achieving a clean North American electricity grid. Specific actions that will be taken in the next year include:

• Strengthening the Canada-US Critical Minerals Action Plan. With recent commitments to invest in critical minerals under Canada’s Budget 2022 and the US Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, both countries are well situated to collaborate on continental critical mineral strategies. The sustainable development of critical minerals is essential to our clean energy deployment commitments and the long-term energy security of North America and our allies around the world.
• Identifying key locations for cross-border hydrogen hubs and corridors and developing standards for the carbon intensity of clean hydrogen are essential to enabling global trade. Both governments have identified hydrogen as essential for contributing to 2030 climate objectives and the path to net-zero by 2050. Canadian and US governments, sub-national governments and the private sector are ready to take action and make investments to unlock the significant economic opportunities that hydrogen presents.
• Accelerating the implementation of the MoU that was signed between the US DoE and Natural Resources Canada concerning cooperation on energy, which includes our commitments to achieve a net-zero emissions electricity grid by 2035; aims to support carbon removal technology development and deployment; targets cooperation on responsibly managed nuclear power opportunities; and emphasizes the importance of affordable energy, particularly for disadvantaged, remote and Indigenous communities.

This work builds on the Roadmap for a Renewed US-Canada Partnership adopted by President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau in February 2021.

In addition to joint Canada-US priorities, Minister Wilkinson and Secretary Granholm also discussed global energy issues as our countries prepare for the upcoming meeting of G7 Energy Ministers in Berlin.

Jennifer M. Granholm, Secretary, US Department of Energy, said, “Together, with the leadership of Minister Wilkinson, we will work to accelerate the clean energy transition in both our countries, spurring job growth and ushering in a 100% clean energy future.”