Bilateral Agreements
The U.S.-India Energy Dialogue
The U.S.-India Energy Dialogue was launched on May 31, 2005. It established five Working Groups along with a Steering Committee to provide oversight. The goals of the Dialogue are to promote increased trade and investment in the energy sector by working with the public and private sectors to further identify areas of cooperation and collaboration. Building upon the broad range of existing cooperation, it is hoped that this effort will help mobilize secure, clean, reliable and affordable sources of energy.
The five Working Groups are:
- Oil and Gas;
- Coal;
- Power and Energy Efficiency;
- New Technologies and Renewable Energy; and
- Civil Nuclear
The Office of Fossil Energy will play a key role in the Oil and Gas, Coal, Power and Energy Efficiency, and the New Technologies and Renewable Energy Working Groups.
The Oil and Gas Working Group will endeavor to strengthen mutual energy security and promote stable energy markets to ensure adequate supplies of energy that will support desired levels of economic growth. In addition, it will work as a forum to exchange information and develop lines of communication for policy coordination in times of market instability, and promote increased trade and investment in the oil and gas sector.
The Coal Working Group will promote the efficient and environmentally-responsible use of coal. Its activities will be designed to enhance the understanding of coal-related energy issues and promote the exchange of information on policies, programs, and technologies, with special emphasis on coal utilization for power generation and clean fuels production.
The Power and Energy Efficiency Working Group will advance understanding of efficient generation, transmission and distribution of electricity and promote the exchange of information on regulatory policies. It will develop cooperative programs and promote technologies to enhance end-use efficiency with special emphasis on the "last mile" distribution and utilization of electricity in urban and rural networks. It will also conduct cooperation on clean coal preparation and modern coal conversion systems in power generation.
The New Technology and Renewable Energy Working Group will promote the development and deployment of clean energy and renewable technologies leading to enhanced energy security and stable energy markets that will support desired levels of economic growth with appropriate concern for the environment.
Climate Change Supplement to the U.S. Agency for International Development-Supported Greenhouse Gas Pollution Prevention (GEP) Project
The purpose of this agreement is to provide technical assistance support in areas to include promoting clean alternative fuels for pollution reduction and clean air; facilitating introduction of hydrogen-based energy systems; introducing advanced decentralized energy systems, such as fuel cells, combined heat and power systems, and renewable-based cogeneration systems; supporting institutional mechanisms such as regulatory policies that promote decentralized systems; and engaging the public in adopting clean energy technologies and systems.
Before the current bilateral agreement with India was established, FE’s interaction and cooperation with India had been largely limited to activities under the various USAID Participating Agency Services Agreements. A number of U.S. technologies have been demonstrated and several small U.S. companies have begun to accrue significant sales of equipment and services to the India utility sector. The GEP project has reduced several million tons of CO2 emissions from existing Indian power plants, and introduced new, more efficient, less polluting technologies, such as supercritical pulverized coal and integrated gasification combined-cycle technologies, which are either beginning to be deployed or are under consideration by Indian utilities. The present PASA provides support for roadmapping of India hydrogen future, which supports the International Partnership for Hydrogen Economy initiative and its objectives.
In addition to the technical assistance tasks, the National Energy Technology Laboratory has awarded a grant to Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (Rochester Hills, MI) to implement a "Hydrogen-Fueled Transport Project" to convert two "3-wheelers" from compressed natural gas to hydrogen. The technological challenges associated with introducing such hydrogen-powered vehicles into India are significantly reduced because the typical daily fuel requirement for transportation in India is about one-tenth that needed for U.S. automobiles, thus significantly reducing the amount of hydrogen to be stored. Also, because New Delhi already requires 3-wheelers to use CNG, the market has been conditioned to accept a gas-based transportation fuel rather than liquid gasol.
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