Türkiye and the US are committed to cooperate against the immediate challenges caused by the energy crisis while the countries' longer term energy dialogue could focus more on cooperation in small modular reactors in nuclear energy and energy transition, Geoffrey Pyatt, Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources at the US Department of State, told Anadolu Agency in an exclusive interview.
Pyatt is paying a visit to Türkiye, Romania and Bulgaria during October 10-14 to meet government officials and energy sector leaders for bilateral discussions. As part of his visit to Türkiye, Pyatt met Deputy Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Alparslan Bayraktar, and addressed the Atlantic Council's Regional Clean Energy Outlook Conference.
On the sidelines of the conference, Pyatt said both governments, the US and Türkiye, are committed to dialogue on both the immediate challenges on the issue of gas supplies and Russia's war against Ukraine.
'But also (committed to) the longer term issue of transition. I had a very rich round of discussions. I found a very high degree of agreement with my Turkish counterparts on this visit regarding the importance of stability in the market, importance of our dialogue that we have established between Washington and Ankara on all of the issues around the geopolitics of global energy and energy transition,' Pyatt noted.
He stated that Turkish government has the understanding that the name of the game is more wind, solar, hydro and small modular nuclear reactors.
He explained that nuclear power has a critical role in the US and in the Inflation Reduction Act and the Congress has made available for the extension of nuclear reactors in the US.
The country is supporting conversations that are happening in Europe about how to bring new projects to scale and to market as quickly as possible, Pyatt said.
Pyatt said that small modular nuclear reactors will be part of the solution.
'It is a challenge that we are committed to work together on between the US and Türkiye issues like the regulatory environment for these reactors, in order to ensure and to assure communities that these projects can be rolled out safely. But it also has to make commercial sense,' he said pointing out that there is a clear revival of interest in the nuclear power in many parts of the world.
Nuclear accounts for about 20% of the US total energy mix as a clean and sustainable power and Pyatt added.
- US companies could invest in LNG infrastructure in Europe
Speaking on the natural gas crisis and its impacts, he said that the current crisis is 'caused uniquely by Vladimir Putin and the Russian government' and Russia has chosen to weaponize its energy resources.
'That disruption (in gas supplies) is being felt around the world, literally, in every corner of the globe in terms of inflation, commodity prices. Europe is particularly vulnerable because of how Europe over time had evolved its industrial structures to be linked, in particular to Russian gas supplies,' Pyatt said.
He pointed out that Europe acknowledges that Russia has been able to take advantage of the position of dependency.
'I am convinced that no one will ever see Russia as a reliable energy supplier, as long as Russia is doing what it is doing to Ukraine today,' Pyatt said.
The US has increased its liquified natural gas (LNG) exports to Europe to ease the gas crisis and 15 billion cubic meters of US LNG were identified for this year and the US is on track to be the world's largest LNG exporter this year, he informed.
'We will continue to stay in lockstep with all of our European partners. I know this is important to Türkiye as well to those countries which are not members of the European Union and all neighbors of Türkiye. Western Balkans are in this position of particular vulnerability, because unlike Türkiye, many of those countries got 100% of their gas from Russia,' Pyatt explained stating his gladness that US LNG companies have been successfully working with Türkiye as an LNG buyer.
Upon question whether US companies have any plan to invest in LNG infrastructure in Europe, Pyatt answered with 'Yes'.
'It is not the US government. It is our companies have built the very expensive infrastructure that is required for liquification on the US side and the companies that are involved in the marketing,' he said pointing out to the importance of building supportive and cooperative infrastructure among countries of the region.
'This is how we can most effectively push back on what Russia has tried to do by weaponizing its energy resources,' Pyatt noted.
- 'Unfortunate' production cut decision by OPEC+
On the reaction of the US to the decision to cut oil production by 2 million barrels starting from November, Pyatt reminded that the US government at the most senior level, including the national security adviser, have made clear how disappointed the US was in this decision.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies, known as OPEC+, agreed Wednesday to cut production by 2 million barrels per day (bpd) from the August 2022 required production levels, starting November.
The decision by OPEC+ is a 'clear' sign that the bloc is siding with Russia amid a growing power rivalry with the West, the White House said last Wednesday after the announcement of the decision.
'How unfortunate we think it is in light of global oil markets and exactly the moment when the international community is trying to grow itself out of the COVID-19 crisis and the economic slowdown that produced and this huge shock caused by Vladimir Putin's invasion of a sovereign Ukraine,' Pyatt said.
He concluded that he does not want to speculate on the Saudi motivation on the decision.
By Nuran Erkul Kaya
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr