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Second meeting of the Steering Committee of the India-US Energy Dialogue

New Delhi
February 8, 2006 

The second meeting of the Steering Committee of the India-US Energy Dialogue took place in New Delhi on 8 February 2006. It was chaired by Foreign Secretary and US Under Secretary of Energy David Garman.

Issues considered by the Steering Committee included:

- A workshop on civil nuclear energy cooperation that will take place in the US later this year building on the successful event in Mumbai in January 2006.

- Efforts to ensure a strong US participation at the Natural Gas Conference in India in May 2006.

- Three MoUs to be signed on various aspects of cooperation in the oil and natural gas sector.

- Priority to be given to US collaboration in drilling for gas hydrates.

- Pilot projects to be considered in coal preparation and coal liquefaction.

- A clearing house to be set up for coal bed methane and coal mine methane.

- A major energy efficiency conference involving industry of both countries to take place in India in mid-2006.

- Solar-thermal and wind energy to be priorities in the non-conventional energy sector.

The US side gave a briefing on the recently unveiled Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP) that focuses on commercial recycling technologies designed to expand nuclear power production while addressing environmental concerns with regard to waste management and minimizing proliferation risks.