U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm will visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates next week to work on “climate co-operation” and other issues, two Biden administration officials said, as gathered by Reuters. The visit will be her first the region, where she will be visiting UAE first. The visit is said to run from Tuesday to Thursday.
“The visit is a continuation of long-standing engagement between the U.S. and this region,” the officials said.
“Specifically, for the Department of Energy, it will move forward work both countries are doing on climate cooperation and to diversify the energy economy.”
The sources also disclosed that Granholm will participate in a meeting of the Net-Zero Producers Forum, a group of countries representing 40% of global oil and gas production, including the U.S., Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The group was formed in 2021, with the aim of working on ways to cut emissions such as abatement of methane and deployment of clean energy.
The Net-Zero meeting was planned long in advance and Granholm does not plan to discuss oil policy with counterparts on the trip, one of the sources told Reuters.
Saudi Arabia and UAE are both members of OPEC, which is debating whether to extend output cuts.
