Supporting Clean Energy In Latin America

At the Summit of the Americas in April 2009, President Barack Obama introduced the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, or ECPA, which encourages the development and deployment of clean energy technologies and cooperation on climate change through partnerships across the Western hemisphere. Since then, the United States and its partners have launched over 40 ECPA projects throughout the region.

Most recently, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in her June 22 meeting with Caribbean leaders, announced six new clean energy projects to promote renewable energy development.

To support ECPA partnerships in Central America, the U.S. Department of State and Agency for International Development (USAID) are providing nearly $7 million to facilitate clean energy uptake and to support the Central American electrical power sector integration effort. The U.S. Government also announced a new ECPA initiative to accelerate private finance in renewable energy with the Private Finance Advisory Network.

Also, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, or USTDA, granted more than $2 million for five feasibility studies to be conducted in Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia.

In Mexico, for example, three USTDA-funded studies will help the State Government of Baja California decide whether to build two wind power projects and one landfill gas collection project.

In Brazil, a similar study will evaluate a planned gas collection facility in Sao Paolo State.

"We are delighted by these opportunities to work with our partners in Latin America on projects that help diversify their energy infrastructure," said USTDA Director Leocadia Zak. "These grants demonstrate USTDA’s strong commitment to help deploy U.S. clean energy technologies in key international markets."

These projects are part of the U.S. government’s "Fast Start" financing pledge made during the 2009 Copenhagen climate conference to increase our support for international efforts to promote clean energy, combat deforestation, and build resilience to the impacts of climate change.

As President Obama said during the Summit of the Americas two years ago, "Our hemisphere is blessed with bountiful resources, and we are all endangered by climate change. Now we must come together to find new ways to produce and use energy so that we can create jobs and protect our planet."