PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Australian and US governments have signed a Net Zero Technology Acceleration Partnership to accelerate the development and deployment of zero emissions technology and cooperate on critical minerals supply chains to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while supercharging economic growth. 

Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said on Tuesday that the partnership was the first step in delivering on the government’s commitment to make climate change a centrepiece of the US alliance, and reinforces the shared commitment to urgent action to deliver on ambitious 2030 targets and reach net zero by 2050. 

“Reducing emissions while growing our economies and jobs is a challenge and opportunity that requires global effort. The current threats to global energy markets and energy security make international cooperation even more important,” Bowen said.

The partnership will build on long-standing cooperation between the two countries, which share many of the same challenges in decarbonising their respective economies, the Minister added.

Cooperation will be practical, and inclusive of industry, research and the private sector to drive investment, trade and development of commercial opportunities between the countries in low and zero emissions technologies and the critical materials that will drive them. 

Initial areas for cooperation under the partnership include the development of long duration energy storage technology, digital electricity grids and technology to support the integration of variable renewable energy, hydrogen and carbon dioxide removal, including direct air capture.

The partnership also recognised the crucial role more diversified sources of critical minerals will play in the energy transition, extending cooperation to building supply chains integral to the deployment of clean energy technologies.  

“The Australia-US Net Zero Technology Acceleration Partnership reflects our nations’ joint commitment to grow our energy capacity and obtain the full advantages of affordable, diverse and secure clean energy.” US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm said.

“With today’s partnership, our two countries will work together to unlock critical advances in long-duration storage, grid integration, clean hydrogen, direct air capture, and critical minerals and materials, providing an essential opportunity to export the innovations that will accelerate the global clean energy transition.”

The partnership was signed on the same day as a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Commonwealth Scientific, Research, and Industry Organisation and the United States National Renewable Energy Laboratory at the Sydney Energy Forum. The MoU is an example of the increasing cooperation between Australia and the US to develop clean energy technologies.