Washington DC

During the visit of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh to Washington DC in November 2009, India and the USA signed an MOU to enhance cooperation on Energy Security, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change. Priority initiatives under the MOU include the setting up of a joint research center to foster innovation and joint efforts to accelerate deployment of clean energy technologies.

2. The Ambassador of India, H.E. Ms. Meera Shankar and Mr. Daniel Poneman, Deputy Secretary of Energy, US Department of Energy today initialed the Agreement for Cooperation on a Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center.

3. The Center will facilitate joint research and development by teams of scientists and engineers from the US and India on clean energy and related joint activities, needed to deploy clean energy technologies rapidly with the greatest impact. The areas of cooperation would include energy efficiency of buildings, smart grids, unconventional natural gas, second-generation bio fuels, clean coal technologies and solar energy. Both Governments would provide funding for the activities to help ensure long-term and stable financial support to achieve the objectives of the Center. Private industry and academia in both countries are also expected to provide additional resources.

4. This Agreement is a significant step forward in strengthening cooperation between the two countries in an area of increasing national and international priority. Technology breakthroughs will be critical in achieving energy security in a clean and sustainable manner and the Joint India-U.S. Research Centre could be a valuable catalyst in the process.