On June 15, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), the European Commission's Energy Agency (ENER) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) issued a joint statement on future hydrogen and fuel cell technology cooperation.
METI, ENER and DOE affirm their common desire to strengthen the tripartite cooperation in hydrogen energy and fuel cell technology. The announcement was made during the G20 Ministerial Conference on Japan's Energy Transition and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth.
METI, ENER, and DOE (hereinafter referred to as "organizations") have a strong interest in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, which can bring huge benefits to the energy sector, the economy, and the environment. Hydrogen and fuel cells are part of a broad and sustainable energy mix that can be key to opening up opportunities and value in all sectors, from transportation to industry, and to reliable, clean and affordable electricity.
For more than three decades, these organizations have been world leaders in funding hydrogen and fuel cell programs and intend to strengthen solidarity and accelerate the development of sustainable hydrogen and fuel cell technologies worldwide. These organizations recognize the importance of reducing the cost of hydrogen because of its affordability and reliability. These organizations firmly believe that the cooperation they envisage can promote the expansion of international cooperation and help expand the share of hydrogen energy in the global economy. Organizations believe that there are many benefits to be gained from cooperation.
To this end, the organizations intend to explore how best to initiate and implement an effective hydrogen cooperation framework consistent with their energy dialogue, possibly through the development of a memorandum of cooperation (MOC). The organizations plan to work with other countries to accelerate the progress of global hydrogen technology.