US Moves Back to World Energy Council, Ahead of 2022 summit

The US has rejoined the World Energy Council.

The World Energy Council (WEC), the world’s leading independent member-based international energy network has announced that the United States has rejoined it. A new US WEC Member Committee will be hosted by Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), an independent, nonprofit energy research and development (R&D) organization.

The WEC provides a platform to discuss the challenges facing the global energy industry with more than 3,000 member organizations in over 90 countries. The presence of the US within the organization is likely to see the US take a more active role in directing global energy policy.

The EPRI is an independent research and development organization based in the US and has close ties to the WEC, making the body ideally positioned to aid in the reintegration of the US into the council. WEC and EPRI have strong Governance frameworks including an Officers’ Council and Board of Directors, as well as associated committee and sub-committee structures.

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The US hosted successful editions of the WEC in 1936, 1974, and 1998, fueling energy conversations amongst global powers. US rejoined the WEC one year ahead of the World Energy Congress, which is set to be held in Saint Petersberg, next year. The US stands at second position in the world in terms of CO2 emission as well as new renewable power capacity addition in 2020, in both positions it is behind China only.

Speaking of the rejoining of the US, Secretary-General of the WEC, Dr. Angela Wilkinson expressed, “We are very happy to welcome back the United States to the World Energy Council community. The US was a founding member of the World Energy Council back in 1923 and has been, throughout the past century, a very active and important member of our worldwide network.”

“Today, the United States is a country leading human and technological innovation across the energy mix. With the return of the United States to the COP agreements, the world is seeing a new and more inclusive era in global energy leadership, and I’m sure we will all benefit from the influence and impact the US will have at a global scale to achieve more energy climate neutrality ambitions,” she added.

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The news follows similar announcements made over the last year that signals the desire of the Biden Administration to be more involved in the global energy industry than its predecessor, such as the US’s plan to re-join the Paris Agreement.

“R&D is the foundation of an affordable, reliable, and equitable clean energy transition,” said Arshad Monsoor, president and CEO of EPRI. “Partnering with the WEC enhances EPRI’s ability to advance essential innovation through global collaboration.

“EPRI and the Council apply globally informed, forward-looking perspectives to address today’s and tomorrow’s energy challenges. EPRI’s focus on enabling carbon reduction benefiting all customers and communities closely aligns with the council’s aspirations to humanize energy,” he added.