Results shaped by collaborative, multi-nation effort commissioned by US Department of Energy to leverage the region’s energy potential

WASHINGTON, DC – March 6, 2020 – The Atlantic Council today released an ambitious strategy report focused on accelerating the development of energy resources in the Western Hemisphere. The report, titled A New Energy Strategy for the Western Hemisphere, lays out key areas of opportunity and major challenges, as well as areas where US assistance and regional cooperation can leverage the region’s energy potential, promote sustainable economic growth, and ensure regional stability and prosperity.

A New Energy Strategy for the Western Hemisphere, an independent study commissioned by the US Department of Energy, was a joint effort of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center and Global Energy Center. The report was formally launched at a public event at the Atlantic Council featuring, among others, the Hon. Mark W. Menezes, Under Secretary of Energy at the US Department of Energy; Kristie Pellecchia, Senior Advisor for the Western Hemisphere at the US International Development Finance Corporation; and Brian L. Kelly, Vice President of Federal Government Affairs at Sempra Energy.

“The United States, led by the Department of Energy, is uniquely positioned to be a leader in joining partners from around the hemisphere together in an effort to dramatically enhance energy investment in the hemisphere,” said Under Secretary of Energy Mark W. Menezes. “Working together, we can build the Western Hemisphere into an energy powerhouse that will boost our economies, strengthen our respective energy security, and serve as a counterweight to foreign adversaries.”

The report was authored by David Goldwyn, chairman of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center Energy Advisory Group and a former special envoy and coordinator for international energy affairs at the US State Department.

“The United States can be a leader in gathering our partners around hemisphere to dramatically enhance energy investment in our nations and thereby expand energy access, affordable power, and energy security,” said Goldwyn. “By sharing best practices, enabling informed conversations on overcoming investment barriers and supporting our neighbors and friends with technical assistance and capacity building, the United States can raise the global competitiveness of the hemisphere, advance our shared prosperity and accelerate the energy transition.”

A New Energy Strategy for the Western Hemisphere draws on six months of convenings with public and private sector leaders from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Guyana, Mexico, and the United States. Those consultations were a driving force behind the report’s roadmap for expanding energy access and deepening integration of regional energy markets.

“The Western Hemisphere’s vast and varied natural resources, geographic assets, and human capital will be essential to unleashing the region’s great potential in which hydro, solar, wind, nuclear, gas, and oil will come together to build that brighter and cleaner future, while being poised to play a key role in the energy transition and fighting climate change globally,” said Randolph Bell, director of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center.

“Untapping the Western Hemisphere’s energy potential will be one of the drivers for a more prosperous regional future,” said Jason Marczak, director of Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center. “By doubling down on a new wave of energy investment and tapping into new technologies and abundant natural resources, the region stands to strengthen its security, markets, and infrastructure while delivering affordable, dependable, and sustainable power that can help to fuel growth.”

A New Energy Strategy for the Western Hemisphere can be accessed here.

For press inquiries please contact press@atlanticcouncil.org.

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