The Technology and Innovation Working Group of the EU-U.S. Energy Council held a virtual meeting on 16 March 2023. This was co-chaired by Maria Cristina Russo Director for Global Approach and International Cooperation in Research & Innovation, of the European Commission and Joshua Volz Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe, Eurasia, Africa, and Middle East, Office of International Affairs, of the U.S. Department of Energy.
The meeting discussed nuclear fusion research cooperation and modelling for energy transition pathways. The participants acknowledged progress in bilateral cooperation on fusion research with a particular focus on the development of a new cooperation tool, the Model Project Agreement (MPA). The MPA aims to allow the EU and the U.S. to broaden the scope of joint research activities on fusion, increasing the number of fusion projects financed and maximising progress in the sector.
The meeting also discussed the establishment of the Modelling of Transition Pathways Working Group, which will advance the science and explore the broad implications of a carbon net-zero energy sector, including climate effects, interactions with other sectors, availability and demands for natural resources (e.g., water), and future potential performance in the face of climate change and compounding influences and stressors.
Source: European Commission | Research and Innovation (https://bit.ly/3U1sjPr)