((Automated translation by Reuters, please see disclaimer https://bit.ly/rtrsauto)) by Georgina McCartney and Marianna Parraga
At an international energy conference, energy executives and U.S. government officials clashed Tuesday over President Joe Biden’s administration’s efforts to promote clean fuels and global geopolitical goals.
Top energy officials took to the stage at the GasTech conference in Houston to criticize the United States, saying it lacks a clear policy to meet its goals or provide the energy needed for economic developments such as the rise of artificial intelligence.
“It seems that we do not have a coherent collective decision on how the policy should be implemented and also on the sustainability of this policy for sustainable energy development,” said Lorenzo Simonelli, chief executive of Baker Hughes BKR.O.
“Advances in AI will depend not only on the design labs of Silicon Valley, but also on the gas fields of the Permian Basin,” Chevron CEO Michael Wirth said at the annual conference.
Ryan Lance, chief executive of ConocoPhillips COP.N , also said the United States had been slow to approve needed energy export projects or make required permitting improvements.
“We absolutely need permit reform and we need more infrastructure,” he said.
Brad Crabtree, assistant secretary for fossil energy and carbon management at the U.S. Department of Energy, said the administration’s infrastructure bill has freed up billions of dollars for new energy projects.
The Energy Department is working to expedite project reviews to distribute funds for hydrogen, carbon storage and other clean energy projects before the administration changes in January, he said.
“I’m delighted with the scale and pace of what we’re doing to reduce carbon emissions,” Mr Crabtree said. He added that he was “very concerned” about the difficulties in obtaining permits for hydrogen and carbon storage projects.
The United States is working extensively with other countries and energy groups to meet its clean energy goals and counter its rivals, State Department official Geoffrey Pyatt said.
A second plank of U.S. energy policy is to “ensure that Russia pays a price for the extraordinary violence it inflicts on its citizens,” underscoring efforts to build a coalition on sanctions.
Peter Clarke, Exxon’s vice president, said developing countries should not be expected to adopt the same clean energy strategies as advanced economies.
“There is no one-size-fits-all solution for Asia,” Clarke said. “We have to be careful when we adopt policies in developed countries and expect developing countries to follow suit.
