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Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson and South African Minister of Minerals and Energy Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka today pledged to continue making progress on priorities of energy market development, clean energy policies and technologies and nuclear cooperation objectives under the U.S.- South Africa Binational Commission Sustainable Energy Committee.

"We are pleased that this committee's work has steadily advanced since last year, under the leadership of Vice President Gore and President Mbeki," said Secretary Richardson. "We have already accomplished a great deal and look forward to a continued partnership with South Africa."

The Ministers agreed to establish a Working Group to Implement the Joint Statement on Clean Energy Cooperation in Support of the Environment under the Sustainable Energy Committee. The working group, which will include participation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Agency for International Development, will allow the two countries to continue cooperative efforts on clean energy.

Secretary Richardson announced that the chairman for the United States will be the Deputy Secretary of Energy T. J. Glauthier and the vice chairs will be the Deputy Administrator of the Agency for International Development Hattie Babbitt and Assistant Administrator for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency William Nitze.

Minister Mlambo-Ngcuka announced that the Deputy Minister of Minerals and Energy, Ms. Susan Shabangu, will lead the South African team on the working group and will be supported by the interdepartmental National Committee on Climate Change (NCCC).

Other efforts of the Sustainable Energy Committee include:

• initiating an electricity regulatory cooperation program;

• developing the South African energy data collection system;

• collaborating on the development of South Africa's National Climate Change Action Plan;

• implementing a coal waste utilization entrepreneurial training program;

• creating a nuclear cooperation effort in the areas of research, safety and non-proliferation; and

• strengthening a capacity building exchange program.

In addition to the Sustainable Energy Committee Meeting, Secretary Richardson and Minister Mlambo-Ngcuka met to discuss other cooperative efforts between the two governments. The two discussed the recent actions by OPEC and how Secretary Richardson=s efforts with oil producing countries helped South Africa, which imports almost all of its oil.

Secretary Richardson and Minister Mlambo-Ngcuka also reviewed plans for the second U.S.-Africa Energy Ministers meeting scheduled for December 2000, in South Africa, as a follow-up to the conference held in December 1999, in Tucson, Arizona, including plans for a Women's Energy Initiative, focusing on introducing renewable energy technologies into rural areas to assist women in better meeting economic and health goals.

The attached fact sheet/communique(PDF) describes the joint efforts of the U.S. and South Africa under the Gore-Mbeki Binational Commission Sustainable Energy Committee.

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News You Can Use--March 1, 2000