Category: Renewable Energy

MIL-OSI USA: The Marshall Star for September 25, 2024

Source: NASA

By Wayne Smith
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center honored top contractors, subcontractors, teams, and individuals of fiscal year 2024 at the 38th meeting of Marshall’s Small Business Alliance. The awards honor aerospace companies and leaders who have demonstrated support of the center’s small business programs and NASA’s mission of exploration.

The event took place Sept. 19 at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s Davidson Center for Space Exploration in Huntsville. Around 650 participants from industry and government gathered to network, learn about business opportunities, and recognize outstanding achievements in support of NASA’s mission and the small business community. Those attending represented 32 states and 10 nations.
“The Marshall Small Business Alliance is an outreach tool designed to introduce the business community to the NASA marketplace,” said David Brock, small business specialist for the agency’s Office of Small Business Programs at Marshall. “Those in attendance can gain valuable insight into Marshall’s exciting programs and projects, upcoming procurement opportunities, and get an opportunity to network with Marshall prime contractors.”
Marshall Director Joseph Pelfrey welcomed attendees, while Jeramie Broadway, deputy director of Marshall’s Office of Strategic Analysis and Communications, provided an update on the center for fiscal year 2025 and beyond.
Marshall’s Industry & Advocate Awards are presented annually and reflect leadership in business community and sustained achievement in service to NASA’s mission.
“We are excited about this year’s winners,” Brock said. “Each play a key role in helping NASA achieve successes in support of key programs and projects, including the Human Landing System and Space Launch System rocket. Maintaining and sustaining an experienced and competitive industry base is what makes America strong, and small businesses are at the core of those successes.”

Marshall manages the Human Landing System and Space Launch System programs.
This year’s award recipients are:
Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year
Media Fusion
Small Business Subcontractor of the Year
Zin Technologies
Large Business Prime Contractor of the Year
Jacobs
Mentor-Protégé Agreement of the Year
Jacobs (mentor) and CodePlus (protégé)
Procurement Person of the Year
Joseph Tynes
Program Person of the Year
Patrick McVay
Small Business Technical Coordinator of the Year
Leah Fox
Technical Person of the Year
David Hood

NASA civil service employees nominate eligible individuals and organizations for awards. A panel of NASA procurement and technical officials evaluates each nominee’s business practices, innovative processes, adoption of new technologies and their overall contributions to NASA’s mission and the agency’s Small Business Program.
Award recipients in the following categories become candidates for agency-level Small Business Industry and Advocate Awards:

Large and Small Business Prime Contractors of the Year
Small Business Subcontractor of the Year
Procurement Team or Person
Technical, Small Business Technical Coordinator/Technical Advisor
Program Person or Team of the Year

Learn more about Marshall’s small business initiatives.
Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.
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By Serena Whitfield
A new flag is reaching for the Moon outside the Huntsville Operations Support Center at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center following a Sept.19 ceremony, marking contributions from center team members toward the launch of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
The Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station will carry NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. The mission is scheduled to launch Sept. 28 no earlier than 12:17 p.m. CDT.

Crew-9 will be the first human spaceflight mission to launch from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This is the ninth crew rotation mission with SpaceX to the orbiting laboratory under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP). The crew will spend approximately five months at the station, conducting more than 200 science and research demonstrations before returning in February 2025.
Once aboard the space station, Hague and Gorbunov will become members of the Expedition 72 crew and perform research, technology demonstrations, and maintenance activities. The pair will join NASA astronauts Don Petitt, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner. Wilmore and Williams, who launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June, will fly home with Hague and Gorbunov in February 2025.

The flag raising has been a tradition for missions supported at Marshall’s Huntsville Operations Support Center (HOSC), as well as a tradition within the CCP to celebrate the successful conclusion of NASA’s Agency Flight Readiness Review prior to launch. The HOSC provides engineering and mission operations support for the space station, the CCP, and Artemis missions, as well as science and technology demonstration missions. The Payload Operations Integration Center within HOSC operates, plans, and coordinates the science experiments onboard the space station 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
The CCP support team at Marshall provides crucial programmatic, engineering, and safety and mission assurance expertise for launch vehicles, spacecraft propulsion, and integrated vehicle performance. Marshall’s role within the CCP is to support certification that the spacecraft and launch vehicle are ready for launch. The support team performs engineering expertise, particularly for propulsion, as well as program management, safety and mission assurance, and spacecraft support.

The flag-raising ceremony was a joint effort between the Payload and Mission Operations Division (PMOD) and CCP team. Dave Gwaltney, technical assistant, specialty systems, and Commercial Crew Program representative, gave the introductions. He recognized Brady Doepke, structural analyst for liquid propulsion systems, for his significant contributions in preparation for Crew-9 mission success. Gwaltney said Doepke exemplified leadership and innovation through his guidance of Marshall’s CCP engineering team, which resulted in a successful risk assessment of the updated SpaceX turbine wheel fleet leader acceptance criteria.
Payload and Mission Operations Division Manager Nicole Pelfrey also recognized Thomas “Reid” Lawrence as the division’s Crew-9 honoree.
“Reid serves dutifully in the HOSC as part of the HOSC’s Data Operations Control Room Operations Engineers,” Pelfrey said. “Reid has a number of technical specialties, including his expertise in the Backup Control Center activation procedures. This expertise has been vital over the past year as JSC has worked through power upgrades. He also diligently ensures our ISS payload users receive their data and is a key engineer for the testing, verification, and operation of our HOSC interfaces that support commercial crew communications.”
Whitfield is an intern supporting the Marshall Office of Communications.
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NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center hosted the Rossi Prize Recognition Dinner at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville on Sept. 18. The dinner was held to recognize the IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) team members honored with the Bruno Rossi Prize, a top prize in high-energy astronomy. From left, Martin Weisskopf, Rossi Prize awardee and NASA emeritus scientist, who served as the principal investigator for IXPE during its development, launch, and commissioning; Paolo Soffitta, Rossi Prize awardee, and the Italian Space Agency’s principal investigator for IXPE; Hashima Hasan, program scientist for IXPE at NASA Headquarters; Andrea Marinucci, IXPE team member and researcher with the Italian Space Agency; and Marshall Director Joseph Pelfrey, who provided welcome remarks at the dinner. “The Bruno Rossi Prize highlights how partnerships and teamwork can push the boundaries of scientific knowledge,” Pelfrey said. “The (IXPE) mission, a groundbreaking collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space Agency, represents over 30 years of dedicated effort and stands as a testament to the innovative work of a truly multinational team.” (NASA/Jennifer Deermer)

Rossi Prize winners Weisskopf and Soffitta, center seated, are joined by a plush goat, the unofficial mascot of the IXPE mission, and other IXPE team members at the Rossi Prize Recognition Dinner. Read more about the award and the prize winners. (NASA/Jennifer Deermer)
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By Wayne Smith
Talk with Shannon Segovia for any length of time and you’ll quickly discover the care and enthusiasm she has for her position as director of the Office of Communications at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. And that care and enthusiasm extends to those she works with across the center to share news about Marshall missions and team members.
In her role, Segovia oversees a team responsible for media relations and public affairs, digital and social media, stakeholder relations and engagement, internal and employee communications, and executive communications for the center.

“We manage these activities for the entire center of about 7,000 people, so it is a definitely a very busy job!” said Segovia, a native of Athens, Alabama, who was named as permanent communications director this summer after more than 12 years at Marshall.
She was the deputy director of communications starting in June 2023 after working as Marshall’s news chief and public affairs team lead starting in 2019. From 2012 to 2019, Segovia was a public affairs officer at the center. Prior to joining NASA, she was the communications manager for the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Sequoyah Nuclear Plant near Chattanooga, Tennessee.
At Marshall, she said it’s the people who continue to be her biggest motivators.
“As a public servant, I want the people I serve – the people who follow our channels, listen to the news stories we create, and attend our events – to know why NASA’s missions are important and critical to the world we live in,” Segovia said. “I am so fortunate to have such a brilliant team, and they motivate me daily with their hard work.”
“I’m also motivated by my husband and family because I want to make them proud. I want my nieces and nephews to have a bright future, and I truly believe the work we are doing at NASA will help them do that.”
Question: What excites you most about the future of human space exploration, or your NASA work, and your team’s role it?
Segovia: NASA’s missions depend on public and stakeholder support, and that is what our office does – ensures people know what we are doing at NASA and specifically at Marshall, why it is important, and how our missions are benefiting humanity. From social media posts to events like the South Star music festival to interviews with media outlets and stakeholder tours, we use every channel we can to tell others about the work we are doing at Marshall and NASA. Our office touches every organization at the center, and it is so exciting to have a front seat to everything we are doing to get humans back to the Moon and on to Mars.

Question: What has been the proudest moment of your career and why?
Segovia: I helped take a team of 12 Marshall female engineers to The Today Show in 2019 for a segment about International Women’s Day. As a public affairs specialist, one of our job duties is to prepare subject matter experts for interviews, making sure they have messages, talking points, and anything else they need. I have never been more proud to be a woman and to work for Marshall than I was that day, seeing how well these women represented NASA and the extraordinary achievements they have made possible. It also made me even more thankful for the job I have – preparing them to make sure they felt confident and could talk about their work was a wonderful experience. The other moment in my career I will never forget is the Artemis I launch in November 2022. I’ve supported the Space Launch System since I started working at NASA, and seeing that rocket fly was one of the best moments of my career. It was the culmination of so much hard work and sacrifice from so many people and was truly an overwhelming and amazing experience.
Question: Who or what inspired you to pursue an education/career that led you to NASA and Marshall?
Segovia: My parents have always been my No. 1 fans, encouragers, and supporters. They instilled in me a strong work ethic and the belief I could do anything I wanted to do if I worked hard. They made education a priority for my brothers and I and would do anything to help us succeed. I am so fortunate to have such a wonderful family. My mom always wanted me to do something in the medical field, but a biology course in college changed my mind quickly on that. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do but had been at school for two years and needed to declare a major. I liked to write and read but didn’t know how to make a career out of that until I went to a journalism class taught by Ms. Bobbie Hurt at the University of North Alabama, and I was hooked. She became my mentor and really taught me how to be a good writer, which has been the foundation for my entire career. I ended up with a double major in journalism and public relations, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Question: What advice do you have for employees early in their NASA career or those in new leadership roles?
Segovia: Find people to whom you can go to for advice, who have your back, and can help you accomplish your goals. I’ve had some amazing mentors, teammates, and bosses who have not only supported me but pushed me to do things I wasn’t sure I could do and helped me even when I messed up. I would not be here without them, and I think it is so important to have those people in your entire career, but especially when you are new. Ask for help when you need it. Time flies, so enjoy the season and job you are in. You will know when it is time to move on, but being present and learning from where you are will help you succeed.
Question: What do you enjoy doing with your time while away from work?
Segovia: I love the water – ocean, river, pool, lake – I like being outside and water activities. I love to read and travel, and also to spend time with family and friends. I have three nieces and two nephews, and I like to go to their games and activities. I have a 4-year-old terrier mix named Ted and I enjoy taking him on walks and to the park.
Smith, a Media Fusion employee and the Marshall Star editor, supports the Marshall Office of Communications.
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NASA has awarded a total of $1.5 million to two U.S. teams for their novel technology solutions addressing energy distribution, management, and storage as part of the agency’s Watts on the Moon Challenge. The innovations from this challenge aim to support NASA’s Artemis missions, which will establish long-term human presence on the Moon.

This two-phase competition has challenged U.S. innovators to develop breakthrough power transmission and energy storage technologies that could enable long-duration Moon missions to advance the nation’s lunar exploration goals. The final phase of the challenge concluded with a technology showcase and winners’ announcement ceremony Sept. 20 at Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland, Ohio, home of the visitor center for NASA’s Glenn Research Center.
“Congratulations to the finalist teams for developing impactful power solutions in support of NASA’s goal to sustain human presence on the Moon,” said Kim Krome-Sieja, acting program manager for Centennial Challenges at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. “These technologies seek to improve our ability to explore and make discoveries in space and could have implications for improving power systems on Earth.”

The winning teams are:

First prize ($1 million): H.E.L.P.S. (High Efficiency Long-Range Power Solution) of Santa Barbara, California
Second prize ($500,000): Orbital Mining Corporation of Golden, Colorado

Four teams were invited to refine their hardware and deliver full system prototypes in the final stage of the competition, and three finalist teams completed their technology solutions for demonstration and assessment at Glenn. The technologies were the first power transmission and energy storage prototypes to be tested by NASA in a vacuum chamber mimicking the freezing temperature and absence of pressure found at the permanently shadowed regions of the Lunar South Pole. The simulation required the teams’ power systems to demonstrate operability over six hours of solar daylight and 18 hours of darkness with the user three kilometers (nearly two miles) away from the power source.
During this competition stage, judges scored the finalists’ solutions based on a Total Effective System Mass (TESM) calculation, which measures the effectiveness of the system relative to its size and weight – or mass – and the total energy provided by the power source. The highest-performing solution was identified based on having the lowest TESM value – imitating the challenges that space missions face when attempting to reduce mass while meeting the mission’s electrical power needs.

Team H.E.L.P.S. (High Efficiency Long-Range Power Solution) from University of California, Santa Barbara, won the grand prize for their hardware solution, which had the lowest mass and highest efficiency of all competitors. The technology also featured a special cable operating at 800 volts and an innovative use of energy storage batteries on both ends of the transmission system. They also employed a variable radiation shield to switch between conserving heat during cold periods and disposing of excess heat during high power modes. The final 48-hour test proved their system design effectively met the power transmission, energy storage, and thermal challenges in the final phase of competition.
Orbital Mining Corporation, a space technology startup, received the second prize for its hardware solution that also successfully completed the 48-hour test with high performance. They employed a high-voltage converter system coupled with a low-mass cable and a lithium-ion battery.
“The energy solutions developed by the challenge teams are poised to address NASA’s space technology priorities,” said Amy Kaminski, program executive for Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. “These solutions support NASA’s recently ranked civil space shortfalls, including in the top category of surviving and operating through the lunar night.”

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Watch the finale of NASA’s Watts on the Moon challenge, a $5 million, two-phase competition designed to develop breakthrough power transmission and energy storage technologies.

During the technology showcase and winners’ announcement ceremony, NASA experts, media, and members of the public gathered to see the finalist teams’ technologies and hear perspectives from the teams’ participation in the challenge. After the winners were announced, event attendees were also welcome to meet NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen.
The Watts on the Moon Challenge is a NASA Centennial Challenge led by Glenn. Marshall manages Centennial Challenges, which are part of the agency’s Prizes, Challenges, and Crowdsourcing program in the Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA contracted HeroX to support the administration of this challenge.
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Manufacturing equipment that will be used to build components for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for future Artemis missions is being installed at the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility.
The novel tooling will be used to produce the SLS rocket’s advanced exploration upper stage, or EUS, in the factory’s new manufacturing area. The EUS will serve as the upper, or in-space, stage for all Block 1B and Block 2 SLS flights in both crew and cargo configurations.

In tandem, NASA and Boeing, the SLS lead contractor for the core stage and exploration upper stage, are producing structural test articles and flight hardware structures for the upper stage at Michoud and the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center. Early manufacturing is already underway at Michoud while preparations for an engine-firing test series for the upper stage are in progress at nearby Stennis Space Center.
“The newly modified manufacturing space for the exploration upper stage signifies the start of production for the next evolution of SLS Moon rockets at Michoud,” said Hansel Gill, director at Michoud. “With Orion spacecraft manufacturing and SLS core stage assembly in flow at Michoud for the past several years, standing up a new production line and enhanced capability at Michoud for EUS is a significant achievement and a reason for anticipation and enthusiasm for Michoud and the SLS Program.”

The advanced upper stage for SLS is planned to make its first flight with Artemis IV and replaces the single-engine Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) that serves as the in-space stage on the initial SLS Block 1 configuration of the rocket. With its larger liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant tanks feeding four L3 Harris Technologies- built RL10C-3 engines, the EUS generates nearly four times the thrust of the ICPS, providing unrivaled lift capability to the SLS Block 1B and Block 2 rockets and making a new generation of crewed lunar missions possible.
This upgraded and more powerful rocket will increase the SLS rocket’s payload to the Moon by 40%, from 27 metric tons (59,525 lbs.) with Block 1 to 38 metric tons (83,776 lbs.) in the crew configuration. Launching crewed missions along with other large payloads enables multiple large-scale objectives to be accomplished in a single mission.

Through the Artemis campaign, NASA will land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon. The rocket is part of NASA’s deep space exploration plans, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. NASA’s SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the SLS Program and Michoud.
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Chris Pereira can personally attest to the immense gravitational attraction of black holes. He’s been in love with space ever since he saw a video on the topic in a high school science class.
But it wasn’t just any science class. It was one specially designed for English learners.

“I was born and raised in Guatemala,” Pereira said. “I came here at 14 unable to speak any English.”
Pereira did not know how to navigate the U.S. educational system either, but after that class, he was certain he wanted a career in space.
Thus began a journey that ultimately landed him at L3Harris Technologies, where he works in the Aerojet Rocketdyne segment as an engineer and operations integrator on the RS-25 engine – used to power the core stage of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket that will launch astronauts to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis campaign.
Pereira’s first step was to stay after class and ask to borrow a copy of the video on black holes. His teacher not only obliged but took him across the street to the local library to get his first library card.
Pereira quickly recognized that the pathway to his desired career in space was through higher education. It was equally clear, however, that he was not yet on that pathway. English as a Second Language classes, including that science class, did not count toward college admissions. His guidance counselor, meanwhile, was nudging him toward the trades.
But with the help of teachers and a new guidance counselor, he got himself on the college-bound track.
“I came to understand there were multiple career pathways to explore my interest in space,” Pereira said. “One was engineering.”
There was a lot of catching up to do, so Pereira took eight classes per day, including honors courses. He also worked every day after school cleaning a gymnasium from 6 to 11 p.m. to help his family make ends meet.
Pereira earned his mechanical engineering degree at California State University at Los Angeles while also working as a senior educator at the California Science Center to cover the cost of his college tuition and living expenses.
Pereira’s first career experience was as an intern in manufacturing engineering at Aerojet Rocketdyne. “I learned that making 100% mission-success engines requires a strong culture of attention to detail, teamwork and solid work ethics.” Pereira said. His first full-fledged engineering job was with Honeywell Aerospace working on aircraft programs.
Eventually, space came calling – literally. “My mentor at Aerojet Rocketdyne called me up and said, ‘Chris, I have a job for you,’” Pereira said.
He began his new job working on rocket engine programs including the AR1 and RS-68 but shifted to the RS-25 after NASA awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne a contract for newly manufactured versions of the engine. Initial versions of the SLS are using refurbished engines from the Space Shuttle Program. Evolved versions of the RS-25 recently concluded a critical test series and will debut with the fifth Artemis flight.
As RS-25’s operations integrator, Pereira is responsible for ensuring that the many pieces of the program – from tracking on-time procurement of supplies and labor loads to coordinating priorities on various in-demand machine centers – come together to deliver a quality product.
Playing a key role in the nation’s effort to return astronauts to the Moon feels a bit like coming home again, Pereira said. “You develop your first love, work really hard, take different pathways and encounter new passions,” he said. “It’s almost funny how the world and life work out – it’s like I’ve taken a big circle back to my first love.”
NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the SLS Program.
Read other I Am Artemis features.
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Renee Weber, chief scientist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, talks during the “Legacy of the Invisible” event in downtown Huntsville on Sept. 20. About 300 people attended the event, which coincided with the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The celebration featured “No Straight Lines,” a new mural at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Washington Street by local artist Float. The mural honors Huntsville’s rich scientific legacy in astrophysics and highlights the groundbreaking discoveries made possible by Marshall scientists and engineers. Other speakers included Collen Wilson-Hodge, principal investigator of the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope. The event also offered members of the community the opportunity to meet the scientists who worked on some of NASA’s most revolutionary astrophysics missions. Featured exhibits from Marshall included the Apollo Telescope mount, the main science instrument on Skylab; the High Energy Astrophysics Program (HEAO); the BATSE instrument on the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory; Chandra X-ray Observatory; Fermi; IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer); and Marshall’s X-Ray and Cryogenic Facility. “I had a really nice time at the event,” Weber said. “It’s always great to see such interest and enthusiasm in our science work from the public.” Wilson-Hodge said the mural is an artistic depiction of the historic event detected with the Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor and the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory on Aug. 17, 2017. “On that day, for the first time ever, we observed both a gamma-ray burst and gravitational waves from two very dense neutron stars merging to form a black hole,” she said. (NASA/Serena Whitfield)

From left to right, scientists and astrophysicists from Marshall, Cori Fletcher, Michelle Hui, Steven Ehlert, Weber, Colleen Wilson-Hodge, Lisa Gibby, and the artist Float pose for a photo in front of the “No Straight Lines” mural at the corner of Clinton Avenue and Washington Street in Huntsville. (NASA/Serena Whitfield)
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Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have found a galaxy cluster has two streams of superheated gas crossing one another. This result shows that crossing the streams may lead to the creation of new structure.

Researchers have discovered an enormous, comet-like tail of hot gas – spanning over 1.6 million light-years long – trailing behind a galaxy within the galaxy cluster called Zwicky 8338 (Z8338 for short). This tail, spawned as the galaxy had some of its gas stripped off by the hot gas it is hurtling through, has split into two streams.
This is the second pair of tails trailing behind a galaxy in this system. Previously, astronomers discovered a shorter pair of tails from a different galaxy near this latest one. This newer and longer set of tails was only seen because of a deeper observation with Chandra that revealed the fainter X-rays.
Astronomers now have evidence that these streams trailing behind the speeding galaxies have crossed one another. Z8338 is a chaotic landscape of galaxies, superheated gas, and shock waves (akin to sonic booms created by supersonic jets) in one relatively small region of space. These galaxies are in motion because they were part of two galaxy clusters that collided with each other to create Z8338.
This new composite image shows this spectacle. X-rays from Chandra (represented in purple) outline the multimillion-degree gas that outweighs all of the galaxies in the cluster. The Chandra data also shows where this gas has been jettisoned behind the moving galaxies. Meanwhile an optical image from the Dark Energy Survey from the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory in Chile shows the individual galaxies peppered throughout the same field of view.
The original gas tail discovered in Z8338 is about 800,000 light-years long and is seen as vertical in this image. The researchers think the gas in this tail is being stripped away from a large galaxy as it travels through the galaxy cluster. The head of the tail is a cloud of relatively cool gas about 100,000 light-years away from the galaxy it was stripped from. This tail is also separated into two parts.

The team proposes that the detachment of the tail from the large galaxy may have been caused by the passage of the other, longer tail. Under this scenario, the tail detached from the galaxy because of the crossing of the streams.
The results give useful information about the detachment and destruction of clouds of cooler gas like those seen in the head of the detached tail. This work shows that the cloud can survive for at least 30 million years after it is detached. During that time, a new generation of stars and planets may form within it.
The Z8338 galaxy cluster and its jumble of galactic streams are located about 670 million light-years from Earth. A paper describing these results appeared in the Aug. 8, 2023, issue of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and is available here.
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science operations from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.
Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.
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What does it take to build a massive spacecraft that will seek to determine if a mysterious moon has the right ingredients for life? Find out in a new video series called “Behind the Spacecraft,” which offers behind-the-scenes glimpses into the roles of five engineers working on NASA’s Europa Clipper mission, from building the spacecraft’s communications systems to putting it through rigorous tests so the orbiter can meet its science goals in space.

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With its launch period opening Oct. 10, Europa Clipper is the agency’s first mission dedicated to exploring an ocean world beyond Earth. The spacecraft will travel 1.8 billion miles to the Jupiter system, where it will investigate the gas giant’s moon Europa, which scientists believe contains a global saltwater ocean beneath its icy shell.
The videos are being released here weekly. The first two are already out.
Meet the team:

Dipak Srinivasan, lead communications systems engineer at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, makes sure the Europa Clipper team can communicate with the spacecraft. Learn more about his work in the video above.
Sarah Elizabeth McCandless, navigation engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, helped plan Europa Clipper’s trajectory, ensuring the spacecraft arrives at Jupiter safely and has a path to fly by Europa dozens of times. Learn more about Sarah’s work here.
Jenny Kampmeier, a science systems engineer at JPL, acts as an interface between mission scientists and engineers.
Andres Rivera, a systems engineer at JPL and first-generation American, works on Europa Clipper’s cruise phase — the journey from Earth to Jupiter.
Valeria Salazar, an integration and test engineer at JPL who spent her childhood in Mexico, helped test the Europa Clipper spacecraft to ensure its launch readiness.

Europa Clipper experts will answer questions about the mission in a NASA Science Live show airing in English on Oct. 1, and in Spanish on Oct. 3. The broadcasts will appear on NASA+, YouTube, Facebook, and X. The Spanish broadcast will be streamed on the NASA en Español YouTube channel. Viewers can submit questions on social media using the hashtag #askNASA or by leaving a comment in the chat section of the Facebook or YouTube stream.
Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission and will fly through the most punishing radiation environment of any planet in the solar system. The spacecraft will orbit Jupiter and, during multiple flybys of Europa, will collect a wealth of scientific data with nine science instruments and an experiment that uses its telecommunications system to gather gravity data.
Managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California, JPL leads the development of the Europa Clipper mission in partnership with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. The main spacecraft body was designed by APL in collaboration with JPL and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center executes program management of the Europa Clipper mission. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy, manages the launch service for the Europa Clipper spacecraft.
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MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-Evening Report: Our electricity workforce must double to hit the 2030 renewables target. Energy storage jobs will soon overtake those in coal and gas
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Jay Rutovitz, Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney

Wanwajee Weeraphukdee/Shutterstock

The electricity workforce will need to double in five years to achieve Australia’s 2030 renewable energy target, our new report finds. More than 80% of these jobs will be in renewables. Jobs in energy storage alone will overtake domestic coal and gas jobs (not including the coal and gas export sector) in the next couple of years.

The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) updates its Integrated System Plan every two years. It’s a blueprint for the energy transition from coal to renewable energy. The plan lays out scenarios for how the electricity system might change to help put in place all the elements needed to make the transition happen.

AEMO and the RACE for 2030 co-operative research centre commissioned the Institute for Sustainable Futures to undertake modelling on the workforce needed for this transition. The “step change” scenario in the Integrated System Plan is broadly aligned with the 2030 renewables target. Under this scenario, we found the electricity workforce would need to grow from 33,000 to peak at 66,000 by 2029.

Rooftop solar and batteries together are projected to account for over 40% of these jobs. Wind farms will employ around one-third and solar farms just under 10%. Jobs would also treble in transmission line construction to connect renewables in regional areas to cities and other states in the next few years.

Job projections in the National Electricity Market under the ‘step change’ scenario that aligns with the 2030 renewables target.
Author provided

Job growth would surge in a ‘renewable energy superpower’

In the “green energy export” scenario, Australia becomes a “renewable energy superpower”. The country uses renewable energy to export green hydrogen and power heavy industry. In this scenario, the electricity workforce would almost treble to 96,000 by the late 2020s.

By 2033, after construction peaks, more than half of electricity sector jobs will be in operations and maintenance. This applies to both the step change and green energy export scenarios.

A significant employment downturn is projected during the 2030s. But in the green energy export scenario jobs then climb steeply again to a peak of 120,000. This projection reflects AEMO’s expectations of when green export growth will occur.

New South Wales is projected to have the most renewable energy jobs in the 2020s. However, Queensland would become the largest state for renewable jobs (especially in wind farms) in the green energy export scenario.

Projected total job numbers by scenario.
Author provided

What are the other possibilities?

“Progressive change” is another scenario in the Integrated System Plan. For this scenario, we modelled slower growth in renewable energy. It reflects constraints on the economy and supply chains (including labour and minerals) for renewables.

In an “enhanced manufacturing” scenario, local renewable energy manufacturing increases. Our modelling found it could create a peak of 5,000 extra jobs.

Importantly, these projections don’t include upstream jobs in supply chains for the sector (for example, increased mining to supply the resources that renewables need) or electrification of homes.

Creating this many jobs is very challenging

Our modelling shows the workforce needs to grow very rapidly to make Australia’s energy transition happen. Unfortunately, the challenges of building this workforce are daunting. They include:
- there’s a shortage of almost all key occupations in demand for the electricity sector – electricians, engineers, construction managers – according to Australia’s Skills Priority List
- “extraordinary growth” forecast by Infrastructure Australia in other major infrastructure projects, such as transport, which will compete for many of the same skilled workers
- under AEMO’s scenarios, employment will be subject to boom-bust cycles, which increases the risk of skill shortages and damaging impacts, such as housing shortages, in regional areas
- Australia has relied heavily on skilled migrants – and will look to do so again – but many parts of the world are chasing the same workers.
The International Energy Agency has noted:

Labour and skills shortages are already translating into project delays, raising concerns that clean energy solutions will be unable to keep pace with demand to meet net zero targets.

What can be done to avoid skill shortages?

Some action has been taken to increase the workforce. The federal government, for instance, is subsidising apprentices under the New Energy Apprenticeship program.

But action isn’t happening at the scale and pace required.

What else can be done?

Firstly, Jobs Skills Australia and Powering Skills Organisation (which oversees energy skills training) have outlined ways to increase the system’s capacity to train more skilled workers. This includes creating better pathways into renewable energy for students, especially in recognised Renewable Energy Zones.

Secondly, Jobs Skills Australia has noted the need for renewable energy businesses to increase their intakes of apprentices. It recommends expanding the Australian Skills Guarantee to include generation and transmission projects.

The guarantee has set mandatory targets for apprentices or trainees to complete 10% of labour hours on Commonwealth-funded major construction and information technology projects (A$10 million plus). It could also be applied to major government funding programs for renewable energy and transmission. These include:
- the Capacity Investment Scheme, a government tender program to support a large volume of new renewables and storage projects
- Rewiring the Nation, a $20 billion fund for transmission lines
- grants from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.
Thirdly, government tenders could moderate the peaks and troughs in employment by limiting the maximum and minimum volumes built each year.

Fourthly, including more women and First Nations Australians can increase labour supply and workforce diversity. Only one-in-two First Nations Australians are employed compared to around two in three in the wider population. Yet they account for around one-in-ten people in some major Renewable Energy Zones.

Government pre-employment programs, working with industry and First Nations groups, could also increase the supply of workers. These could have a dramatic social impact too.

It’s a challenging problem whichever way you look at it. We need rapid change to build renewable energy capacity before coal plants retire and to tackle climate change. But that depends on growing the workforce amid skill shortages.

There’s a range of ways to increase the supply of workers and improve local outcomes. But we are running out of time. Urgent action is needed.

The Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney received funding from the Australian Energy Market Operator and the RACE for 2030 CRC for the report upon which this article is based

The Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney received funding from the Australian Energy Market Operator and the RACE for 2030 CRC for the report upon which this article is based.

– ref. Our electricity workforce must double to hit the 2030 renewables target. Energy storage jobs will soon overtake those in coal and gas – https://theconversation.com/our-electricity-workforce-must-double-to-hit-the-2030-renewables-target-energy-storage-jobs-will-soon-overtake-those-in-coal-and-gas-239718
MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Russia: NSU postgraduate student develops catalyst for converting diesel fuel into synthesis gas

MIL OSI Translation. Region: Russian Federation –

Source: Novosibirsk State University – Novosibirsk State University –

4th year postgraduate student Faculty of Natural Sciences of NSU Vladislav Shilov has developed a structured catalyst for converting diesel fuel into synthesis gas, which currently has no industrial analogues. In 2023, the results of his work on this topic were awarded a scholarship from the Novosibirsk Region government. The researcher developed this device as part of his dissertation work under the scientific supervision of the head of the heterogeneous analysis department of the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Chemical Sciences Pavel Valerievich Snytnikov.

This year, the department’s research team, with the participation of Vladislav Shilov, is creating a fuel processor for obtaining synthesis gas that runs on commercial diesel fuel. It integrates the developed catalyst for converting diesel fuel to obtain synthesis gas from diesel. In the future, in cooperation with consortium members within the framework of the NTI project “Hydrogen as the Basis of a Low-Carbon Economy”, it is planned to create a power plant based on planar solid oxide fuel cells, combined with a diesel fuel processor for generating electricity.

— We were the first to achieve complete conversion of commercial diesel fuel into hydrogen-containing gas suitable for fuel cells. When creating the catalyst, we encountered a serious difficulty: the conversion of diesel fuel into synthesis gas is a high-temperature process (about 700 – 1000 °C), as a result of which the active component of the catalyst quickly sinters. Therefore, for these applications, we were the first to use a metal substrate made of FeCrAl alloy as a structured carrier, which has good heat and mass transfer properties. This is what makes the system we developed unique. The method of applying layers of catalytic coating to a metal mesh is quite complex and was developed over several years. This was not an easy task — the coating of the active component peeled off or cracked. We needed to increase the adhesive (i.e., “bonding”) properties of the substrate surface so that each layer of the catalytic coating would reliably adhere to it. We found a technological solution to this problem. Now we have reached the level where we can carry out small-scale production of structured catalysts for various catalytic applications, said Vladislav Shilov.

When creating the diesel fuel conversion catalyst, experiments were conducted in a laboratory setup. Now the researchers are faced with the task of creating a model of the fuel processor into which it will be integrated. Diesel fuel, water and air will enter the system, which as a result of the catalytic reaction will be converted into synthesis gas suitable for use in solid oxide fuel cells. Now this work is in the active stage and is nearing completion. Next, scientists will have to evaluate the operation of the entire power plant in order to begin industrial implementation.

— The structured catalyst we developed also turned out to be highly active in converting light hydrocarbon fuels into synthesis gas, which interested our industrial partner, the InEnergy group of companies, which is engaged in the creation of power plants based on fuel cells. This year, the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, together with InEnergy, launched small-scale production (about 600 units) of compact power plants TOPAZ-GAMMA M, operating on natural gas and propane-butane, where our development was used. One such power plant was presented by our research group at the International Forum of Technological Development “Technoprom”, where it aroused great interest, — said Vladislav Shilov.

Electrochemical generators running on diesel fuel can be used as a stationary, backup or auxiliary source of electric power, since it is a more convenient carrier of hydrogen. Compared to other alternative carriers, diesel fuel has the largest amount of hydrogen per unit volume, and its long-term storage is carried out at ambient temperature and pressure. In this regard, natural gas transported through gas pipelines and propane-butane are significantly inferior to this type of fuel. Electrochemical generators running on diesel fuel can be used as a stationary, backup or auxiliary source of electric power.

According to Vladislav Shilov, this technology will find application in remote northern regions, in the conditions of the Far North and in the development of the Arctic, as well as at other sites where diesel fuel is the main energy source. It is possible that this development will be of interest to the Russian Ministry of Defense, where most of the equipment also runs on this type of fuel. But in order to launch small-scale production of diesel electrochemical generators, it is necessary to complete work on creating a prototype in laboratory conditions and contact companies interested in launching these devices into small-scale production. The developers have no doubt that such investors will certainly be found.

— Such devices have a much higher efficiency compared to internal combustion engines. They are environmentally friendly — their emissions are carbon dioxide and water vapor. They are distinguished by silent operation, a long service life and do not require frequent maintenance. And the use of fuel cells to generate electricity allows it to be extracted from energy sources by directly converting the energy of chemical bonds into electrical energy. The efficiency of this process is higher than when using standard diesel generators, in which the energy of chemical bonds is first converted into heat, then into mechanical energy and only then into electrical energy. Increasing the efficiency of power plants will reduce the volume of resource-intensive delivery of diesel fuel to remote, Arctic regions. In addition, the use of the developed power plants will be more environmentally friendly due to the reduction in the volume of diesel fuel consumption, — explained Vladislav Shilov.

Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

Please note; This information is raw content directly from the information source. It is accurate to what the source is stating and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

http://vvv.nsu.ru/n/media/nevs/science/postgraduate-student-nnsu-developed-a-catalyst-for-conversion-of-diesel-fuel-into-synthesis-gas/

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and or sentence structure not be perfect.

MIL OSI Russia News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Europe: Written question – Mismatch between ambitious targets and demand and investment needs for hydrogen – E-001730/2024
Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001730/2024
to the Commission
Rule 144
Beatrice Timgren (ECR), Charlie Weimers (ECR), Dick Erixon (ECR)

The EU’s plan to invest billions of euro[1] in boosting renewable hydrogen fuel is being questioned by a recent European Court of Auditors report. The report highlights a mismatch between the ambitious targets set by the Commission and the actual demand and investment needs for hydrogen, suggesting that the strategy is politically driven rather than based on robust analysis.

In light of this, the following questions arise:

1.Reassessment and risk mitigation: According to the report, actual demand for hydrogen is expected to be significantly lower than the Commission’s targets, necessitating a reassessment and adjustment of the hydrogen strategy to reflect realistic market demand projections. Considering the Court’s warning about the EU’s high-risk exposure, what steps are being taken to mitigate these risks and ensure a balanced approach?

2.Taxpayer protection: What measures are in place to protect taxpayers from potential financial losses if significant investments in hydrogen and projects like Northvolt do not yield the expected returns?[2][3]

3.Climate benefit evaluation: How does the Commission evaluate the actual climate benefits of producing green steel and batteries (using imported raw materials) in Sweden compared to other potential green initiatives?[4][5]

Submitted: 17.9.2024

[1] ‘For the 2021-2027 period, total EU funding for hydrogen-related projects is currently estimated at EUR 18.8 billion, mostly funded by the Recovery and Resilience Facility.’ Special report 11/2024 on the EU’s industrial policy on renewable hydrogen: https://www.eca.europa.eu/ECAPublications/SR-2024-11/SR-2024-11_EN.pdf.

[2] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_224.

[3] https://www.eib.org/en/projects/all/20220461.

[4] https://www.eib.org/en/press/all/2024-015-eib-and-nib-to-provide-eur371-million-with-investeu-backing-for-h2-green-steel-s-large-scale-production-of-steel-with-minimal-carbon-footprint.

[5] https://www.eib.org/fr/projects/all/20200902.
Last updated: 25 September 2024
MIL OSI Europe News –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Text of the Vice-President’s address at the 2nd edition of Uttar Pradesh International Trade Show at Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh

Source: Government of India

सभी को नमस्कार,

The largest state of the Union is blossoming and flourishing under his dynamic governance. Yogiji has turned out to be a game changer for this state, and that will help the nation. I am particularly amazed at his 24×7 watchdog governance.

Personally, for me, this is an absolute delight to be at the inaugural ceremony of the second edition of UP International Trade Show 2024. I had the good occasion to go around and see for myself. There could not be a greater assurance for a man like me that all is well, things are on the right track. What I witnessed was beyond my concept, imagination, and dream. I felt I was in the most developed country in the world.

This is indeed a very well-thought-out platform that not only showcases what is there in India, in Uttar Pradesh, it affords an opportunity for people to snatch those opportunities, to be in touch with the best minds, the artisans, the skilled workers, the products, and personally flourish. My congratulations to the Honourable Chief Minister for being so thoughtful, farsighted, and practical.

The beginning was made for the first edition by the Honourable President of India, Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji and in this context, it is my absolute privilege to be part of the second. We are indeed very happy that the trade show will significantly showcase Vietnam as a partner country. As one of Southeast Asia’s robust economies, Vietnam has an impressive GDP of 435 billion US dollars, and we look forward to witnessing their exceptional products and innovative manufacturing practices but I can assure them, they are in the right place, their participation will enormously benefit them and their people to fully exploit their talent and connect with the best artisans and economic potential.

Friends, this will also be an occasion to get a feel for the rich cultural heritage of Vietnam. They will, ofcourse, everyone will feel the rich heritage of Uttar Pradesh and Bharat, but we will also get a feel for the rich heritage of Vietnam. I had the occasion to have a look at it, full display through captivating traditional music and what a similarity there was with Indian instruments. I am sure there will be enough for them to carry home. The dance performances, it was enriching.

And it is a state which, in the last few years, is seeing the happiness factor rising. When the happiness factor rises, your appetite is functional.

My friends from Uttar Pradesh and all over the country who are here will have the occasion to indulge in authentic Vietnamese cuisine. Renowned for its unique flavours, when we look at Vietnam, the savoury delights of Pho and its spring rolls to the mouth-watering Banh Mi, our palates will be treated to a culinary journey. I have had the occasion to know about them and taste them.

This, in a sense, is a natural partnership if we go into a historical perspective, will surely foster cultural and economic challenges collectively. The exchanges will be rewarding, further enhancing our bilateral relations and strengthening the resolve for a greater role for the Global South in international affairs.

It was the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that at the G20 platform, he brought on the international radar, the voice of Global South. This is an important event, their participation is memorable, and I am sure they will carry happy memories of this event.

The exhibition — the scale, the display, the technological penetration, the cultural wealth, each district’s products. I instructed my team that they will, at the micro level, handle each store, each product, so that the nation comes to know it through Sansad TV. Mr. Chief Minister will seek your cooperation. My team will be here this evening.

Friends, the synergy between the Prime Minister of India, his vision, coupled with the Honourable Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi’s execution, sharp execution, execution which has no accommodation for corruption, no tolerance for inefficiency, this has transformed Uttar Pradesh into Uttam Pradesh. The sustained efforts of Yogiji are leading to another milestone development and achievement, soothing to the entire nation, Uttar Pradesh is fast becoming Udyam Pradesh of the country.

This venue is very soothing for development. This venue was also witness to the recently concluded SEMICON India 2024 conference, where the Honourable Prime Minister outlined India’s vision of making the semiconductor industry, and that is going to be the foundation of Viksit Bharat. The conference was a crucial step towards realising India’s goal of becoming a global hub for semiconductor manufacturing.

Let me, friends, come to the state of the nation, the state of Bharat. For ages, India has been the cradle of civilisation, a crucible of innovation, and a global hub of learning. Our Vedas are a gold mine of knowledge and information. India takes pride in being one of the oldest civilisations with 5,000 years of civilisational ethos. We lost our way somewhere in between, but now we are on our way to regaining it and that too fast enough to be a beacon for the planet in several ways in this century.

Nothing can be more satisfying for me to note than that in this regaining, the largest state of the union, under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath, is playing with the straight bat on the front foot to deliver for the nation. Look at a decade ago; the scenario was alarmingly worrisome. The economy was staggering, and the mood of the nation was shaky. From every aspect, governance was challenging for the citizens but what a 360-degree change, soothingly.

The last decade is marked by unprecedented transformation — a transformation for the better. Bharat has emerged as the most buoyant economy in the world. It is now the favourite global destination for investment and opportunity, with an ecosystem of hope and possibility all-pervasive in India. Undoubtedly, we are set to regain our pristine glory. India is now a global happening place, and Uttar Pradesh is bubbling with activity. Activity in every sector: infrastructure, growth, industry, and innovation.

Today, Bharat is a near 4 trillion dollar economy that has 8% growth prospects for decades to come, world institutions have analysed. In 2 years, our economy will march ahead of that of Japan and Germany to be the world’s third-largest economy. Incremental infrastructure growth is reflected in 8 new airports annually. The Honourable Chief Minister has indicated the scenario here. Unbelievable achievement! Look at the express highways, virtually doubling, and the state will be on the global map when it comes to the world-class largest airport in Jewar.

It’s a state where dreams are fructified into ground realities. That’s what I’ve seen. Every 2 years, 3 or 4 metro systems are getting added. Friends, there is daily laying of 28 km of highways and 12 km of railway tracks. In PM Modi’s third term, historic term, 12 new industrial zones are taking shape to boost manufacturing. The nation is fully geared to tap the benefits of artificial intelligence, of electric mobility, green hydrogen, space, and semiconductors. For want of time, I am not focusing on it, but we are among the few countries focusing on the green hydrogen mission, quantum computing. We are in single digits when it comes to the exploitation of 6G technology commercially.

The journey towards Viksit Bharat is well on track. It will fructify in 2047, if not earlier. The mood of the nation is now one of hope and possibility, with accolades pouring in from global institutions.

I have had a long political career, having been elected to Parliament in 1989 and a minister in 1990. The World Bank and IMF are praising us to heights, and rightly so.

Based on factual premise, our digitisation and technological penetration is turning out to be a global model for emulation. A decade of Make in India initiative has yielded significant results. Following successes in agriculture and services, India is now poised for manufacturing growth. State governments, UP being in the lead, are competing to attract investments by improving business conditions.

Sir, nothing is more important for investment than law and order. Law and order defines democracy and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath defines law and order. It is in this soothing ecosystem that UP has emerged as an MSME hub by leveraging the sector strengths to create a robust supply chain.

Technology has enabled greater participation from skilled youth in tier two town and rural areas.

Imagine skill mapping, skill mapping during challenging, daunting days of COVID-19. You did it.

Bharat is now frog leaping from Make in India to conceptualise, design and make in India. We are having our own concept of evolution. We are engaged in design and Make in India. It is encouraging to see multinationals and Indian companies getting in a synergetic stance. They are establishing innovation centres nationwide. Uttar Pradesh is a shining example of it, the defence corridor being one.

Micro, small and medium enterprises are much beyond their nomenclature, as I said earlier. This segment is the spine of the economy and a major contributor of human resource employment.

Coming to Uttar Pradesh, I state, with that kind of history, cultural background was plagued with law and order challenges, and atmosphere of fear.

Not long ago, growth prospects were all time low. And this state now is a beacon of progress and development. The long, long dark tunnel was negotiated with great speed by the Honourable Chief Minister. And there is great light at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel is much behind. From the tunnel, the dark tunnel, the state is on the expressway.

On the way to take a flight for higher economy on the largest airport that is coming up in Jewar. The state is full of hope and possibility. The transformation is unbelievable. Normally, people would not undertake it. They would get adjusted to the status quo. Because the challenge was really very, very, very, very daunting.

In a sense, there is a complete makeover of Uttar Pradesh. You are regaining its pristine glory in every sense. Because the governance exemplifies transparency, accountability, worth emulation, the kind of handholding of the entrepreneur.

And corruption is a word unheard in Uttar Pradesh. Power corridors are fully sanitised. Decisions are fast-tracked and duly tracked.

The state is now turning out to be a great strength to the nation. In phenomenal economic upsurge and unprecedented infrastructure growth in the nation, the largest state of Uttar Pradesh is now an asset and a major contributor unlike a scenario that existed a few years ago.

Uttar Pradesh aspires and rightly so, and why not? To reach the target of $1 trillion economy by 2027 and will be mightily adding to the dream of Prime Minister Modi to his $5 trillion economy by 2027. As rightly focused by the Honourable Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh’s advantages include fertile land, young population, religious tourism, and MSMEs. And look at the size of MSMEs.

Some countries in the world may not have that population. As you have a number of units, the massive focus on infrastructure, one has to see to believe it. It’s easier to say that yes, six new expressways are being added.

It takes time, planning, execution, and funds. This is happening. All this has a Yogi multiplier, Yogi effect, Yogi impact.

Noida contributes 10% of U.P. GDP, I’m told, is crucial for economic growth in the industrial base, IT sector, and upcoming projects like Jewar Airport and Film City. But this city has emerged as one of the leading habitations at a global level. The kind of talent that is there in Noida, I know for sure, I come from the legal profession.

It’s becoming a favourite destination. Uttar Pradesh, no longer a sleeping giant, no longer a state with a promise. It’s a state in action with its vast resources, burgeoning population, and strategic location. It’s a growth engine in itself, and tied to the larger growth engine of the nation to take the nation forward.

I am particularly impressed by the inclusive growth in the country under Prime Minister Modi’s vision. He believes in a plateau kind of a growth. Everyone has to rise in every sector, every social element. U.P. is in line with it.

The trade show focuses on a great opportunity for everyone for boosting MSMEs, promoting geographical indications, and GI products. It was with utmost reluctance that I moved fast. Otherwise, one geographical indicator was good enough to take a few hours. Because it has enormous potential of opportunities. What I saw today was not an exhibition. I saw a basket of opportunities for all.

This event, friends, aligns with Prime Minister Modi’s vision of an Atma Nirbhar Bharat and embraces the motto, local to global.

India’s progress is evident in various sectors. But this is the right epicentre to take it to the next level, local to global. First it was vocal for local, now local to global.

I wouldn’t take long, but India is on the rise as never before. The rise is unstoppable. If I quickly take you, metro services have expanded from five cities to 23.

We have the world’s second largest metro network. The number of cities with airports has doubled from 70 to 140. India is now the largest connected nation globally with over 800 million broadband users. Digital technologies have enabled initiatives like housing for 170 million, health coverage for 60 million, and loans for 58 million small businesses annually. India records the highest digital financial transactions globally with 13 billion transactions per month. The country boasts the world’s third largest startup ecosystem with 107 unicorns and the third largest purchasing power in the world.

The semiconductor industry, which is very critical. It was here that the beginning was made by the Honourable Prime Minister. It is poised by 2026 to surpass 55 billion. I have no doubt this century belongs to Bharat. This century rightly belongs to Bharat. And that being the situation, let us all get together, ladies and gentlemen, because along with Bharat, we are witnessing a new dawn of Uttar Pradesh, a future where the nation stands tall as a global leader in trade, innovation, and cultural heritage. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has painstakingly brought about 360 degree improvement. Not easy. I feel tasked. He brought it about in law and order, in development, in cultural revolution, in giving skill to the people, and in bringing happiness to the people. The vision of Prime Minister Modi and passion of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are in synergy, preparing this transformation towards the grand mission of a Viksit Bharat by 2047. I have no doubt that this trade show will be a beacon of opportunity, collaboration, and success in our journey ahead.

And friends, I conclude by an appeal. एक बहुत बड़ा महायज्ञ भारत में हो रहा है, यह महायज्ञ विकसित भारत के लिए हो रहा है। यह महायज्ञ की पूर्ण आहुति आजादी की शताब्दी का जब महोत्सव होगा तब होगी। इसमें हर किसी को आहुति देनी है और आहुति देने के लिए संकल्प की आवश्यकता है की हम भारतीय हैं, भारतीयता हमारी पहचान है, राष्ट्रवाद हमारा धर्म है। We can never put self or political interest over nationalism.

Thank you so much.

****

JK/RC/SM

MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI United Nations: Implementing Critical Energy Transition Minerals Principles through UNFC and UNRMS

Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

The Principles and Actionable Recommendations for Critical Energy Transition Minerals (CETM) developed by the UN Secretary-General’s Panel set a clear mandate for a global transformation in resource governance.

As Clovis Freire, Chief, Commodity Research and Analysis Section, at UNCTAD, emphasized during the UNECE Regional Dialogue on Critical Minerals and Just Energy Transition held during the UNECE Sustainable Energy Week 2024 “The CETMs Principles and Actionable Recommendations go beyond mining, covering the full value chain, with the focus on building and reinstating trust between stakeholders, while keeping human rights and environmental protection at the forefront while protecting the environment.” This call to action directs us towards global, equitable, and sustainable resource governance, which can be supported with tools such as the United Nations Framework Classification for Resource (UNFC), the United Nations Resource Management System (UNRMS), and implementing partners such as the International Centres of Excellence on Sustainable Resource Management (ICE-SRMs) playing key roles. These frameworks, already adopted in regions like the EU and Africa, and recommended for Asia-Pacific, align resource management with global sustainability and social equity.

Equitable Resource Development

The CETM Principles and Actionable Recommendations highlight the need for resource governance to move beyond economic gain. Instead, it must ensure sustainable, transparent, and responsible resource use. This shift requires governance models that integrate social, environmental, and ethical dimensions alongside technical and economic factors.

UNFC, UNRMS, and ICE-SRMs are well-positioned to lead this global transformation, supporting a comprehensive framework that aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). These governance tools aim to ensure that resource management benefits all, now and in the future, leaving no one behind.

UNFC and UNRMS

UNFC provides a systematic approach for classifying resource-projects, such as the extraction or recovery of critical minerals, based on environmental, social, and economic factors. It lays the foundation for better resource understanding and decision-making. It is also directly linked to CETM Principle 6, which emphasizes that transparency, accountability, and anti-corruption measures are necessary to ensure good governance. Building on this foundation, UNRMS integrates human rights, environmental safeguards, and social justice into resource governance, ensuring alignment with global sustainability goals.

However, as challenges like climate change, inequality, and resource depletion intensify, classification and management alone are insufficient. The next step—global resource governance—integrates ethical, social, environmental, and economic dimensions ensuring that resources are governed in ways that promote long-term sustainability and social equity.

As Karen Hanghøj, Director of the British Geological Survey and Chair of the UNECE Expert Group on Resource Management, noted: “Governance is essential for our resource future. While classification gives us knowledge, management assures operational efficiency, it is governance that ensures we act responsibly balancing today’s needs with the planet’s long-term survival and prosperity.”

The Role of International Centres of Excellence

ICE-SRMs play a vital role in scaling and operationalizing UNECE’s governance frameworks. These Centres provide technical expertise and regional knowledge, ensuring that UNFC and UNRMS are adopted globally and tailored to local contexts. By fostering collaboration between governments, industries, and civil society, ICE-SRMs promote best practices in resource governance and ensures sustainability, transparency, and fairness in resource use. The ICE-SRMs initiative aligns with and supports implementation of CETM Principle 7, including the recommendation for a High-Level Expert Advisory Group to accelerate benefit-sharing, value addition, and economic diversification in critical minerals value chains as responsible and fair trade, investment, finance, and taxation.

Harmonizing Global Resource Governance

The UNECE Regional Dialogue underscored a key realization: global resource governance offers the potential to mitigate traditional trade-offs between economic growth, environmental sustainability, and social equity. Historically, resource management has required balancing these priorities—growth versus sustainability or security of supply versus equitable benefit-sharing. Through application of UNFC and UNRMS, these priorities can be harmonized, creating a governance model in which:

Aligning Global Efforts: UNECE, the UN Principles, and International Cooperation

UNECE’s efforts toward global sustainable resource governance align with other major international frameworks, including the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on CETM Principles and Actionable Recommendations and the EU Critical Raw Materials Act. Both initiatives emphasize transparency, human rights, and sustainability—core tenets of UNECE’s governance frameworks.

The EU CRM Act mandates the use of UNFC to promote global cooperation, circularity and resource efficiency strengthening global efforts to achieve a just and sustainable energy transition.

The UNECE Regional Dialogue held during the UNECE Sustainable Energy Week 2024 marks a step in the global shift toward sustainable resource governance. With UNFC, UNRMS, and the operational support of the ICE-SRMs, UNECE leading this charge. The goal is clear: to ensure that resources are managed responsibly and equitably, benefiting both present and future generations.

To access the report, the list of panel members, and more, please visit: www.un.org/en/climatechange/critical-minerals.

For more detailed information on the Secretary-General’s Panel Report and Actionable Recommendations, please visit the official UN Press Release on Critical Energy Transition Minerals.

MIL OSI United Nations News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: NREL Researcher Silvana Ovaitt Honored With Award From Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers

Source: US National Renewable Energy Laboratory

Ovaitt’s Mentors Taught Her That Education and Outreach Make a Difference. Now She Is Showing the Next Generation of Scientists How To Pay It Forward.

Researcher Silvana Ovaitt plants crops in a garden row at the bifacial agrivoltaics array on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s campus in 2023. Photo by Joe DelNero, NREL

Silvana Ovaitt is already known as a rising star around the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) for her research advancing bifacial photovoltaic (PV) performance, not to mention her already-extensive record of leadership in community and educational outreach. Now, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) has made it official by honoring Ovaitt with a STAR of Tomorrow Award for 2024.

“I’m very honored to receive this award because SHPE is such a fundamental organization shaping Latinx career paths, and it’s great to be recognized and be able to give a wider platform to the amazing activities I am part of, like the Hands-On PV Experience (HOPE), bifacial research, international collaborations, and more,” Ovaitt said.

The SHPE Technical Achievement and Recognition Awards, or STAR Awards, honor those working across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. SHPE gives two STAR Awards—one in government and one in corporate. The STAR of Tomorrow Award – Government recognizes an individual who has demonstrated excellence in their technical work and a commitment to leadership, mentoring, and community service.

“Dr. Ovaitt’s exceptional technical skills, commitment to research, and selfless support to the STEM community make her truly deserving of the STAR of Tomorrow Award,” said STAR Awards Chair Diana Gomez.

Ovaitt first arrived at NREL as a participant in a workshop she now leads. She attended the HOPE workshop as a student in 2016, then joined the program’s staff after becoming an NREL researcher. She became part of program leadership in 2021. A core program at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office, HOPE brings Ph.D. students to NREL to learn more about PV fabrication, metrology, and characterization to encourage university PV research. Ovaitt experienced how the program can serve as a spark for a student’s future career in PV research, and now every summer she helps ignite that spark for a new group of students by welcoming them to NREL.

Silvana Ovaitt. Photo by Gregory Cooper, NREL

Leading the workshop is just one of many projects that seamlessly combine Ovaitt’s commitment to outreach and mentorship with her current research interests. Her work in the Photovoltaic Reliability and System Performance group focuses on the optical and electrical performance of bifacial PV systems, modeling bifacial PV systems, and circularity pathways for PV sustainability. Alongside her publications and conference presentations, she has lent her talents to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, serving on NREL’s Hispanic and Latinx Alliance and Women’s Network employee resource groups and nationally leading the Women in PV Committee and DEI initiatives at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers’ Photovoltaic Specialists Conference. She also creates tools to help researchers consider energy justice in their work.

“Outreach is awesome for bringing science to students who would otherwise not have access to it,” Ovaitt said. “It helps me go back to the basics of how and why we do the research that we do, and I also learn how to better share and teach it in an accessible way—which benefits me for writing proposals and talking to legislators and wider audiences. The mentors who have shaped my path were all very good at this, and I love paying it forward.”

NREL researcher Chris Deline said he has been impressed with her work from the start.

“I have known Silvana since we conducted research together during her Ph.D. program at the University of Arizona, and I was blown away by her energy, research knowledge, and strategic vision,” said Deline, manager of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Regional Test Center program for field assessment of novel PV technologies at NREL. “She puts 100% effort into her technical research and publications and also somehow puts another 100% into external collaborations and stakeholder outreach. I place Silvana as one of the most impactful early career researchers that we have at NREL in her accomplishments and in her technical merit.”

SHPE is not the only organization that has recognized Ovaitt’s work this year. She was also invited to the National Academy of Engineering’s U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium, and she received the PowerMark Early Career Prize in PV Reliability during NREL’s PV Reliability Workshop in March.

Ovaitt and the other award recipients will be honored at SHPE’s STAR Awards ceremony during the organization’s national convention Oct. 30–Nov. 3, 2024, in Anaheim, California. SHPE is the largest U.S. organization representing Hispanics in STEM fields, and it will celebrate its 50^th anniversary at the 2024 convention.

Learn more about NREL’s PV reliability and system performance research and the Hands-On Photovoltaics Experience (HOPE) for graduate students, and find out more about the STAR Awards.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI China: InnoTrans highlights smart, green solutions

Source: China State Council Information Office

A man visits the booth of China Railway during the 2024 International Trade Fair for Transport Technology (InnoTrans 2024) in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 24, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 2024 International Trade Fair for Transport Technology, known as InnoTrans, kicked off on Tuesday with a focus on the future of mobility. This year’s event highlights smart transport solutions and low-carbon rail innovations powered by electricity and hydrogen.

The four-day exhibition has drawn over 2,900 exhibitors from 59 countries and regions. They will showcase the latest products and innovations across 200,000 square meters of exhibition space and 3,500 meters of tracks, covering five segments: railway technology, railway infrastructure, public transport, interiors and tunnel construction.

InnoTrans 2024 will showcase 226 world premieres, featuring groundbreaking advancements in electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles that are pushing the boundaries of energy efficiency and sustainability, Messe Berlin, the event’s organizer, told Xinhua.

Innovations in autonomous rail technology, AI-driven solutions, and smart infrastructure systems using IoT and big data will also be in the spotlight, it added.

Around 200 Chinese companies are participating in the biennial event. The CRRC Corporation Limited, one of the world’s largest vehicle manufacturers, unveiled two of its latest high-tech products: a hydrogen train capable of running up to 200 km per hour and a next-generation autonomous rail rapid transit vehicle, both featuring green and smart innovations.

Meanwhile, the China State Railway Group is showcasing its high-speed trains capable of reaching speeds of 350 km per hour, along with equipment used for China-Europe freight trains.

Chinese automaker BYD made its debut at InnoTrans, showcasing a range of electric buses and highlighting its self-developed blade battery and rapid charging systems.

A man tries his hands on simulated driving of a Fuxing high-speed train at the booth of China Railway during the 2024 International Trade Fair for Transport Technology (InnoTrans 2024) in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 24, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

People view outdoor exhibits at the 2024 International Trade Fair for Transport Technology (InnoTrans 2024) in Berlin, Germany, Sept. 24, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

MIL OSI China News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Aberdeen to host Great British Energy HQ in UK-wide clean energy drive
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Great British Energy will be headquartered in Aberdeen, with 2 smaller sites in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Prime Minister confirms Great British Energy will be headquartered in Aberdeen, a world-leader in engineering and infrastructure

Edinburgh and Glasgow will host 2 smaller sites, maximising skills and expertise across Scotland

the move will kickstart plans for the new publicly-owned company to drive investment in clean home-grown energy, creating jobs and supporting growth across the UK

Aberdeen has today (24 September) been named the new home of Great British Energy, drawing on the city’s world-leading engineering expertise to kickstart a UK-wide clean energy revolution.

As the location of the new headquarters, Aberdeen will be at the heart of the company’s plans to scale up clean homegrown power to boost energy independence, create skilled jobs across the UK and to support economic growth.

Two additional sites will open in Edinburgh and Glasgow, once Great British Energy is up and running, to benefit from local skills and expertise. The company will be initially located in government buildings across the cities, while permanent bases are established.

This marks the next step to kickstart Great British Energy, as part of its mission to become a clean energy superpower. An interim Chief Executive will soon to be appointed to take the lead on launching the new company and building its Aberdeen base – along with the start-up Chair Juergen Maier, former CEO of Siemens UK.

Within the first weeks of the new government, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband took immediate action to introduce the Great British Energy Bill to Parliament and – along with the Prime Minister – confirm a new partnership with The Crown Estate, to help accelerate new offshore wind farms. The company – owned by the British people, for the British people – will attract private investment in the UK’s clean homegrown power, backed by £8.3 billion in government funding over this Parliament.

The move forms part of the government’s plans to support clean energy in the North Sea, ensuring Aberdeen continues to thrive as Scotland’s clean energy capital. The government recently announced the biggest ever investment in offshore wind and continues to progress technologies like carbon capture and storage and hydrogen – as well as ensuring that oil and gas is used for decades to come as part of a fair and balanced transition away from fossil fuels.

Notes to editors

On 25 July, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero published the founding statement for Great British Energy.

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Published 24 September 2024
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Great British Energy to be based in Aberdeen

Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

In response to the Prime Minister’s announcement that Great Briti Energy will be based in Aberdeen

Joint statement from Aberdeen City Council Co-Leaders, Councillors Ian Yuill and Christian Allard: “We are delighted that GB Energy is going to be based in Aberdeen. As the energy capital of Europe, Aberdeen is best placed in Scotland to be home to the UK Government’s GB Energy headquarters. Aberdeen has been a magnet for energy investments for decades and the city has already established itself as a renewables hub with businesses investing in offshore wind and green hydrogen. This will help secure future investments in the sector and will help confirm Aberdeen as the Net Zero Capital of Europe. Aberdeen’s entrepreneurial and innovative energy businesses have the people, the experience, the skills, and the business know-how in leading the energy transition worldwide .”

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI: Global Carbon Dioxide Removal Market Size Expected to Reach $2.54 Billion By 2033 as Climate Change Concerns Grow

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

PALM BEACH, Fla., Sept. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — FN Media Group News Commentary – The carbon dioxide removal market has grown rapidly with the developments in the chemical domain. This industry mainly deals with providing solutions for removing C02 from the environment using natural and artificial methods. The C02 removal strategy is mostly integrated into many climate policies, as CO2 is an important element of climate change. CDR includes several methods that are mainly used on land or in aquatic systems. Land-based methods consist of afforestation, reforestation, and other agricultural practices. The water-based methods include ocean alkalinity enhancement, ocean fertilization, wetland restoration, and some blue carbon approaches. There are several products that are used in the CDR process that mainly include Biochar, Direct Air Capture (DAC), Enhanced/Carbon Mineralization, Ocean Alkalinization, BECCS, Microalgae, and some others. The CDR mainly finds applications in the technology and finance sectors. This industry is expected to grow exponentially with the growth in chemical industries. A report from Precedence Research said: “The global carbon dioxide removal market size was USD 638.73 million in 2023, calculated at USD $733.52 million in 2024 and is expected to reach around USD $2,548.29 million by 2033. The market is expanding at a solid CAGR of 14.84% over the forecast period 2024 to 2033. The rising awareness of reducing CO2 emissions across the world is driving the growth of the carbon dioxide removal market.” Active companies in the markets this week include: BluSky Carbon Inc. (CSE: BSKY) (OTCQB: BSKCF), Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: OXY), Arq, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARQ), Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO), Bloom Energy Corporation (NYSE: BE).

The Precedence Research report continued saying: “The growing developments in the chemical industry are expected to drive the growth of the carbon dioxide removal market. The rising government initiatives for lowering CO2 emissions have driven the market growth. The increasing demand for clean air across the world fosters market growth. The growing investments from public and private sector entities for developing the carbon dioxide removal industry propels the market growth. The rising awareness of a clean environment among the people boosts the market growth to some extent. Increasing adoption of reforestation across the world is expected to boost market growth. The rise in the number of DAC plants in several countries across the world boosts market growth. The ongoing research and development activities related to CDR methodologies have impacted the carbon dioxide removal market growth positively.”

BluSky Carbon Inc. (CSE: BSKY) (OTCQB: BSKCF) Secures US$105 Million Biochar Sales Agreement – Ten-year contract for agricultural grade soil amendments in Southern USA – BluSky Carbon Inc. (CSE: BSKY) (OTCQB: BSKCF) (FWB: QE4 /WKN A401NM) (“BluSky” or the “Company”), an innovative entry into the carbon removal clean technology sector is very pleased to announce that it has entered into a sales agreement (“Sales Agreement”) with a U.S. based purchaser (“Purchaser”) pursuant to which the Company has agreed to supply, and the Purchaser has agreed to purchase, up to 382,213 tonnes of biochar over a period of 10 years substantially on the schedule and pricing terms as set forth in the press release issued today.

The Agreement sets forth a delivery schedule (see tables 1 to 3 shown in the current press release today) designed to achieve an initial volume of approximately 22,200 short tons within the first year of operation, scaling up to approximately 40,000 tons per year for the remainder of the of the Agreement. Biochar will be supplied on as-is basis. The moisture content will be verified with a Certificate of Analysis (CoA) at delivery. Based upon a negotiated rate of two hundred and seventy-five dollars (US$275) per ton, the sales value under the Agreement is approximately US$105 million.

Biochar is black carbon produced from biomass sources (i.e., wood chips, plant residues, manure or other agricultural waste products) for the purpose of transforming the biomass carbon into a more stable form (carbon sequestration). It can persist for long periods of time in the soil at various depths, typically thousands of years. Biochar is produced by heating biomass or waste materials containing carbon through pyrolysis. Pyrolysis involves thermal and chemical decomposition of biomass in limited or zero supply of oxygen, typically at temperatures ranging from 300°C to 1000°C. Biochar can be used as a soil amendment to improve soil physical and chemical properties, enhance water retention, and sequester carbon. It also contributes to climate change mitigation by stabilizing carbon in soils for thousands of years, preventing it from being released as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Biochar has shown promise in increasing crop yields, improving soil fertility, and reducing environmental pollution through its ability to retain nutrients and minimize greenhouse gas emissions.

The Company notes that its ability to meet scheduled delivery of biochar beyond year 1 is conditional upon its commissioning and receiving an additional two (2) Vulcan Heavy biomass pyrolysis systems (Vulcan Heavy). The Company anticipates that each Vulcan Heavy will cost approximately US$3 million and take up to nine months to be manufactured and delivered to the job site. BluSky’s ability to commission any Vulcan Heavy will be contingent on its ability to secure financing on acceptable terms, and no assurance can be given this will occur. At present, the Company believes that it will have the ability to produce 15,000 tons annually (with a sales value of approximately US$4 million under the Agreement) once it completes the build out of its “Kiloplex” facility, including testing and optimization of its Vulcan Heavy system. CONTINUED… Read this full press release and more news for BluSky Carbon at: https://bluskycarbon.com/news/

Other recent developments in the markets of note include:

1PointFive, a wholly owned subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: OXY), announced recently that the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED) will provide up to $500 million to support the development of the South Texas Direct Air Capture (DAC) Hub. The award is a milestone in furthering commercial-scale DAC in the United States and validation of Occidental and 1PointFive’s ability to use their decades-long expertise in carbon management to accelerate the vital climate technology.

The funding will be provided in multiple tranches. The initial award of $50 million will advance 1PointFive’s ongoing work at the South Texas DAC Hub. Upcoming activities include engineering, permitting, the procurement of long-lead equipment and continued community engagement to further 1PointFive’s community benefits plan. The total award value for the South Texas DAC Hub is expected to be up to $500 million for the initial DAC facility at the site, and potentially increased up to $650 million for the development of an expanded regional carbon network in South Texas.

Arq, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARQ), a producer of activated carbon and other environmentally efficient carbon products for use in purification and sustainable materials, recently announced the pricing of an underwritten public offering of 4,770,000 shares of its common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“common stock”), at a price to the public of $5.25 per share. All of the shares in the offering are being sold by Arq. The gross proceeds to Arq from the offering, before deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses, are expected to be approximately $25 million. The offering is expected to close on or about September 23, 2024, subject to customary closing conditions. In addition, Arq has granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 715,500 shares of its common stock in the underwritten public offering.

Arq intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, which may include working capital, capital expenditures, including continued construction of granular activated carbon facilities at Arq’s Red River and Corbin manufacturing facilities located in Coushatta, Louisiana and Corbin, Kentucky, respectively, research and development expenditures, commercial expenditures, debt service costs and repayment, acquisitions of new technologies, products or businesses, and investments.

Gevo, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEVO) recently announced the sale of approximately $20 million in Investment Tax Credits to an undisclosed corporate buyer. This transaction monetizes Inflation Reduction Act (“IRA”) Investment Tax Credits generated from the commercialization of a renewable natural gas (“RNG”) production facility by Gevo NW Iowa RNG, LLC (“Gevo RNG”) and provides net cash proceeds of approximately $17 million to Gevo after transaction fees.

The Gevo RNG asset has been optimized to produce approximately 400,000 MMBtus of RNG per year, and Gevo expects to further increase production over time. Additional RNG value could be unlocked through the monetization of Section 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credits under the IRA, once those rules are defined.

Bloom Energy Corporation (NYSE: BE) recently in response to market commentary regarding the results of the recent Korea Hydrogen Portfolio Standard auction, Bloom said it expects shipment volumes to Korea to be similar in 2024 and the coming years to what they have been in recent years. As disclosed previously, we continue to expect our partner SK ecoplant Co., Ltd. to purchase 500MW of Bloom solid oxide fuel cells between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2027.

Bloom is the proven leader in solid oxide fuel cell technology, having demonstrated 60% electrical efficiency using hydrogen, and 90% combined heat and power efficiency. Bloom remains fully confident in our partners in Korea, and in the ability for Bloom fuel cells to be transformative to the Korean energy market. The public auction is just one mechanism for the sale of our energy servers into the Korean market. Our partners have other development projects in addition to those emanating from the auction.

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DISCLAIMER: FN Media Group LLC (FNM), which owns and operates FinancialNewsMedia.com and MarketNewsUpdates.com, is a third party publisher and news dissemination service provider, which disseminates electronic information through multiple online media channels. FNM is NOT affiliated in any manner with any company mentioned herein. FNM and its affiliated companies are a news dissemination solutions provider and are NOT a registered broker/dealer/analyst/adviser, holds no investment licenses and may NOT sell, offer to sell or offer to buy any security. FNM’s market updates, news alerts and corporate profiles are NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities. The material in this release is intended to be strictly informational and is NEVER to be construed or interpreted as research material. All readers are strongly urged to perform research and due diligence on their own and consult a licensed financial professional before considering any level of investing in stocks. All material included herein is republished content and details which were previously disseminated by the companies mentioned in this release. FNM is not liable for any investment decisions by its readers or subscribers. Investors are cautioned that they may lose all or a portion of their investment when investing in stocks. For current services performed FNM was compensated twenty three hundred dollars for news coverage of the current press releases issued by BluSky Carbon Inc. by the company. FNM HOLDS NO SHARES OF ANY COMPANY NAMED IN THIS RELEASE.

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The MIL Network –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: Providing Sustainable Power for 123,000 More Homes

Source: US State of New York

In celebration of Climate Week, Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that the New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission has issued final siting permits for the Rich Road Solar Energy Center and Prattsburgh Wind LLC projects. The solar farm and the wind farm, located in St. Lawrence County and Steuben County, respectively, will bring a combined 387 megawatts of clean, renewable energy to New York’s electric grid, powering more than 123,000 average-sized homes. Both facilities will contribute significantly to the State’s ambitious climate goals while providing economic benefits to local communities.

“These two massive renewable energy projects are prime examples of our progress in transitioning to a clean energy economy,” Governor Hochul said. “With the issuance of these siting permits, we are creating good-paying jobs in the North Country and the Southern Tier, while providing clean sustainable energy for our families and businesses.”

The Rich Road Solar project developers estimate that the 240 MW solar farm—which will be supplemented with an additional 20 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) located in the Town of Canton, St. Lawrence County—will generate clean energy capable of powering more than 61,000 average-sized homes. The Prattsburgh wind farm, a 147 MW wind project spanning the Towns of Prattsburgh, Avoca, Cohocton, Howard, and Wheeler in Steuben County, will produce enough power for an estimated 62,000 homes according to its developers.

Today’s announcement marks the second and third major renewable energy facility permits issued by ORES this month. Together, the projects bring the total number of ORES-approved large-scale renewable energy projects to 18 since 2021, representing over 2.7 gigawatts of clean energy. The approvals come during New York’s Climate Week, highlighting the State’s continued leadership in advancing clean energy initiatives and reinforcing its commitment to working toward the State’s climate goals.

Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission Interim Executive Director Jessica Waldorf said, “Today’s announcement demonstrates the State’s continued commitment to a clean energy transition and the responsible siting and development of renewable energy resources. ORES’ issuance of the permits of the Rich Road Solar Energy Center and Prattsburgh Wind LLC projects will support the delivery of significant amounts of clean energy to the electric grid and local community benefits, while mitigating significant adverse environmental impacts.”

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Interim Commissioner Sean Mahar said, “The implementation of wind and solar developments like the projects announced today in St. Lawrence and Steuben counties is a critical part of Governor Hochul’s commitment to advancing a clean energy economy and achieving the goals of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. DEC commends the Governor and ORES for their efforts to accelerate green energy deployment and address the challenges of climate change to ensure a greener future for all New Yorkers.”

Alliance for Clean Energy New York Executive Director Marguerite Wells said, “Every megawatt of clean energy that comes online is a win for New Yorkers in the fight against climate change, and brings lasting economic benefits to our state. We thank the state and ORES for granting these siting permits and we look forward to the day the switch is flipped and power flows from these important projects.”

New York League of Conservation Voters President Julie Tighe said, “With the impacts of climate change growing more dire by the day, we can no longer afford to just talk about renewable energy, we need to deliver real projects on the ground, and that’s why we’re thrilled to see Governor Hochul and the team at ORES approve the Rich Road Solar Energy Center and Prattsburgh Wind projects. Together, their promise of 387 megawatts of clean energy mark another important step on New York’s path to meeting our CLCPA obligations and transitioning to the clean energy economy we need.”

The application for the Rich Road solar farm was deemed complete on January 3 and a draft permit was issued by ORES on March 4. A thorough, timely, and transparent review process followed that included a public comment period and hearing. The facility will feature three ground-mounted solar PV arrays on single-axis tracker racking systems, a 34.5 kilovolt (kV) to 345 kV collection substation, and a point of interconnection switchyard. Construction of the facility will create more than 300 full-time jobs, with four permanent positions during operation. The project is expected to provide $24 million in direct payments to the Town of Canton, St. Lawrence County, and local school districts over the next 35 years.

The application for the Prattsburgh wind farm was deemed complete on October 30, 2023, with a draft permit issued by ORES on December 29, 2023. The project will encompass 36 wind turbines and related infrastructure across approximately 53 acres of primarily rural land. The project will generate more than $1.2 million annually in tax revenue for local municipalities and over $500,000 in direct lease and neighbor agreement payments to landowners. Additionally, it will create 81 on-site jobs during construction and eight full-time positions during operation.

Both projects are integral to New York’s broader strategy to meet the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s targets, which mandate 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030 and a zero-emissions electricity sector by 2040. Additionally, both projects were approved in less than the one-year timeframe required under the law.

For more information about the Rich Road Solar and Prattsburgh Wind projects, as well as other ORES-permitted facilities, visit the ORES website.

New York State’s Nation-Leading Climate Plan

New York State’s climate agenda calls for an orderly and just transition that creates family-sustaining jobs, continues to foster a green economy across all sectors and ensures that a minimum of 35 percent, with a goal of 40 percent, of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities. Guided by some of the nation’s most aggressive climate and clean energy initiatives, New York is advancing a suite of efforts – including the New York Cap-and-Invest program (NYCI) and other complementary policies – to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and 85 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels. New York is also on a path toward a zero emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and economy-wide carbon neutrality by mid-century. A cornerstone of this transition is New York’s unprecedented clean energy investments, including more than $28 billion in 61 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the State, $6.8 billion to reduce building emissions, $3.3 billion to scale up solar, nearly $3 billion for clean transportation initiatives and over $2 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. These and other investments are supporting more than 170,000 jobs in New York’s clean energy sector as of 2022 and over 3,000 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011. To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality, New York also adopted zero-emission vehicle regulations, including requiring all new passenger cars and light-duty trucks sold in the State be zero emission by 2035. Partnerships are continuing to advance New York’s climate action with more than 400 registered and more than 130 certified Climate Smart Communities, over 500 Clean Energy Communities, and the State’s largest community air monitoring initiative in 10 disadvantaged communities across the State to help target air pollution and combat climate change.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: UConn and Eversource Host Third Annual Sustainable Clean Energy Summit

Source: US State of Connecticut

Electric grid decarbonization and emerging technologies in clean energy were the focus at this year’s Sustainable Clean Energy Summit at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. The annual summit, hosted by UConn and Eversource, was a featured event of Connecticut’s first ever Sustainability & Resiliency Week. A keynote address by Gene Rodrigues, Assistant Secretary for Electricity, U.S. Department of Energy kicked off the event. Academic and state leaders as well as energy industry experts led panel discussions on various clean energy topics following opening remarks by UConn President Radenka Maric and Eversource Executive Vice President, Customer Experience and Energy Strategy Penni Conner.

From left, Tilak Subrahmanian, vice president of energy efficiency and electric mobility for Eversource Energy, Interim Associate Vice President of Facilities Operations Stan Nolan, UConn President Radenka Maric, and Penni McLean-Conner, executive vice president of customer experience and energy strategy for Eversource Energy, sign a memorandum of understanding between UConn and Eversource during the Sustainable Clean Energy Summit in the Student Union Theater on Sept. 23, 2024. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

In addition to the panel discussions, Eversource and UConn celebrated recent federal funding from the Department of Energy for the “Power Up New England” multi-state proposal, allowing Eversource to commit $4 million to establish the Connecticut Institute for Sustainable Energy at UConn Avery Point. The Institute will help to expand the sustainable energy workforce in the state and region through scholarships, real-world engagement on offshore wind projects, and certificate programs relating to offshore wind, with a particular focus on engagement with individuals from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds.

During the summit, Eversource and UConn signed a three-year memorandum of understanding designed to advance the university’s goal of carbon neutrality by 2030, moving the UConn campus from a focus on LED lighting energy-saving projects to measures that involve studies, building controls, HVAC equipment and other decarbonization or carbon mitigation measures across all UConn campuses and UConn Health.

“I want to give great recognition to our students,” said Maric. “Without our students saying, ‘Here are our priorities, here are our needs,’ we would probably not have the scholarships from Eversource and all the critical initiatives that we started. Besides being an educational institution, we are an innovation institution. Innovation happens here. Our goal is to create a dedicated sustainability academic unit in the coming years. Creating this unit will be a team effort.”

“Eversource and UConn have a proven track record of working together towards our shared decarbonization goals while advancing a more sustainable future for the state, and we look forward to building on those efforts to maximize the benefits of a clean energy future for all residents and businesses,” said Conner. “Our partnership is building the workforce of the future and preparing students to tackle the critical clean energy and sustainability challenges facing Connecticut and the Northeast – setting a strong example for the progress that can be made through collaboration.”

The winners of the Clean Energy and Sustainability Innovation Program (CESIP) Student Challenge Award stand onstage with Bill Quinlan, left, president of transmission & offshore wind projects for Eversource Energy, during the Sustainable Clean Energy Summit in the Student Union Theater on Sept. 23, 2024. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

Four student-led finalist teams from the Eversource-sponsored Clean Energy and Sustainability Innovation Program (CESIP) presented their innovative research ideas to reduce carbon footprints and prepare for climate extremes at the local, state and regional levels with one finalist team receiving funding and mentorship to bring their idea to life over the next year.

This year, that finalist team included Zhiqing “Lucy” Li, Steven Matile, and Meshach Ojo. Their project was titled “Potential Micro-Hydropower Retrofits at Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants.” The student team was supported by UConn mentor Diego Cerrai, assistant professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering and Associate Director and Program Manager, Eversource Energy Center; and Eversource mentor Nick Pellon, Senior Engineer, Transmission Interconnections.

Eversource will continue their sponsorship of the CESIP to provide more UConn students with the opportunity to develop new ideas to advance a clean energy future.

The day’s first panel explored innovations for grid decarbonization, climate adaptation, and modernization to manage extreme weather and intermittent renewable energy challenges through a policy lens. The second panel showcased the opportunities and challenges faced by diverse energy sources such as offshore wind, geothermal, nuclear and hydrogen and their integration to the modern electric grid.

Closing remarks by President Maric and Emmanouil Anagnostou, Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor and Director, Eversource Energy Center, were followed by the Clean Energy Engagement Fair, a career fair-style event for students to meet with Eversource and other employers and learn about UConn curriculum opportunities.

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Europe: Briefing – Energy transition – 24-09-2024

Source: European Parliament

Energy transition is central to the European Union’s ambition to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The EU greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets – 55 % by 2030 and net-zero by 2050 – have accelerated the move away from fossil fuels towards cleaner energy sources and increased energy efficiency. The REPowerEU plan and other EU measures launched in response to the energy crisis meanwhile brought to the fore the importance of ensuring energy security and energy affordability. Existing EU legislation in support of energy transition includes the recently revised Renewable Energy Directive, the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. These laws set targets for renewables in consumption, energy efficiency and building renovations. The recently adopted hydrogen and decarbonised gas market package, along with the electricity market reform, also promote the use of cleaner energy and integration of renewables into the EU energy system. The new political priorities of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen include a future clean industrial deal boosting investment in clean energy infrastructure and technologies. The aim is to further decarbonise the economy and bring down energy prices. In a similar vein, the recent report on EU competitiveness (Draghi Report) highlights the need to reconcile industrial competitiveness with climate neutrality through increased support for clean technologies. These include for instance renewables (such as solar and wind), batteries, heat pumps, electrolysers (used for hydrogen production) and CO2 capture technologies. While the EU has been steadily increasing the rollout of renewables and working towards decarbonisation, several challenges remain. The energy infrastructure must be adapted to accommodate low-carbon energy sources through the expansion of grids and energy storage. Dependence on raw materials needed for clean energy technologies needs to be addressed. The new EU ambitions in terms of boosting industrial competitiveness will also require massive investment. All this has to happen while ensuring secure energy supply and energy affordability.

MIL OSI Europe News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: India attends Ministerial Meeting of Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity
Source: Government of India

India attends Ministerial Meeting of Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity

IPEF partners welcome upcoming entry into force of the Clean Economy Agreement, Fair Economy Agreement, and IPEF Overarching Agreement under Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity

IPEF partners commit to continued progress at virtual Ministerial Meeting

Posted On: 24 SEP 2024 3:47PM by PIB Delhi

Union Commerce and Industry Minister Shri Piyush Goyal along with 13 other IPEF Ministers virtually attended the third Ministerial meeting focused on IPEF Pillar II, III, and IV.

In particular, Minister Goyal along with other IPEF Ministers welcomed the upcoming entry into force of the Clean Economy Agreement, Fair Economy Agreement, and the Overarching Agreement on IPEF on October 11, 2024, October 12, 2024, and October 11, 2024, respectively, and emphasized the significant opportunities to further deepen economic cooperation and deliver concrete benefits under the IPEF agreements through ongoing collaboration.

Supply Chain Resilience

In the virtual meeting, IPEF Ministers reviewed and appreciated the substantive progress made to operationalize the Supply Chain Agreement, deepening cooperation to build more competitive and resilient supply chains, better prepare for, prevent, and respond to supply chain disruptions when they happen, and ensure that regional supply chains raise up workers and respect labor rights. They outlined concrete next steps for the upcoming months, building on the progress made by the Supply Chain Agreement’s three bodies: the Supply Chain Council, Crisis Response Network, and Labor Rights Advisory Board. IPEF partners also highlighted the meaningful collaboration taking place under the Supply Chain Agreement which includes:

The IPEF Ministers noted that the three supply chain bodies – the Supply Chain Council (Council), the Crisis Response Network (Network), and the Labor Rights Advisory Board (LRAB) – met virtually in July to elect leadership in which India was elected as Vice Chair of the Council with US as Chair; Korea as Chair and Japan as Vice Chair of the Network; and the United States as Chair and Fiji as Vice Chair of the LRAB.

Minister Goyal noted that the formation of Action Plan teams in the first in person meeting of supply chain council held in Washington last week, for three critical sectors – semiconductors, critical minerals with a focus on batteries, and chemicals which are highly relevant today given their supply/production concentration and the experience learned from disruptions faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The world has witnessed exponential growth in demand for clean energy solutions to meet respective climate goals. The paradigm shift towards a sustainable and low-carbon future has brought to the forefront of the critical importance in securing a reliable supply of minerals which are critical for green transition.

The use of specific minerals is indispensable for the sectors including clean energy, electronics, defence, transportation, telecommunications, fertilisers, and pharmaceuticals. One of the key challenges in supply chains is risk on account of concentration of global capacities or resources, which can add to price volatility and supply uncertainty. The work under the Action Plan team needs to address this global concentration of supply chains in any form.

The growing population puts immense pressure on limited agricultural land for higher yields and in this context, the importance of resilient supply chains for Agro-chemicals has become extremely important. According to an estimate, the Global Agrochemicals Market (fertilizers, pesticides, adjuvants, and plant regulators) is projected to reach USD 282.2 billion by 2028 from USD 235.2 billion by 2023, at a CAGR of 3.7%.

Minister Goyal emphasized that healthcare including pharmaceuticals and medical devices is an extremely relevant area due to over concentration of global production of APIs and Key Starting Materials (KSMs) which can severely impair supply chain resilience and impact our capacity to address the healthcare needs of our economies. Besides, the multimodal transport systems including multimodal transport corridors, upgrades of logistics infrastructure, enhanced technological interoperability and data flows among freight and logistics enterprises, are some of the key areas which need to be focused upon.

Minister Goyal noted that IPEF’s focus on Logistics and Movement of Good aligns perfectly with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of Gati Shakti initiative, which aims to improve logistics and transportation infrastructure across India through evidence based integrated planning. Further, data and analytics on one hand will help identify new opportunities for collaboration for better resilience amongst IPEF supply chains and on other will help identify structural and systemic risks, enhancing the Council’s ability to address current challenges. He emphasized the workforce development which is a key cross cutting component of building resilient supply chains across the IPEF region should include efforts to identify skill gaps, support reskilling and upskilling, and ensure skill qualification comparability across the region to facilitate workforce mobility.

Crisis Response Network

IPEF Ministers emphasized the importance of collaboration under the Crisis Response Network to help partners timely understand risks in their supply chains. They also reflected on the emergency simulation exercise conducted during the Crisis Response Network (CRN) in person meeting to assist partners in creating tailored systems for real-time monitoring and crisis preparedness.

Clean Economy

Agreement on Clean Economy intends to accelerate efforts of IPEF partners towards energy security and transition, climate resilience and adaptation, GHG emissions mitigation; find/develop innovative ways of reducing dependence on fossil fuel energy; promote technical cooperation, workforce development, capacity building, and research collaborations; and collaborate to facilitate development, access, and deployment of clean energy and climate-friendly technologies. The IPEF partners welcomed the progress made on the eight Cooperative Work Programs (CWPs), which serve as one of the primary mechanisms under the Clean Economy Agreement for facilitating cooperation among participating IPEF partners on priority topics. Each CWP, as developed by the proposing IPEF partner or partners, in consultation with the other IPEF partners, has different objectives and workstreams to carry forward the collaborative work. During the virtual Ministerial, the IPEF partners commended the progress made on the Clean Economy Agreement since the successful Ministerial and inaugural Clean Economy Investor Forum in June.

The IPEF partners welcomed the continued efforts to build and sustain longer-term cooperation among various groupings of interested partners on a range of climate solutions through the CWP mechanism, in furtherance of the overarching goals of the IPEF Clean Economy Agreement, especially w.r.t hydrogen, carbon markets, and small modular reactors (SMRs) and e-waste urban mining proposed by India.

IPEF Ministers expressed great satisfaction over the very successful first IPEF investor Forum held in Singapore which provided a common platform to the investors and the project proponents together and facilitated them to gainfully engage on a wide array of investment opportunities including innovative ideas in the space of climate friendly technologies.

Fair Economy

          By strengthening anti-corruption efforts and enhancing the efficiency of tax administration, the IPEF partners are demonstrating their commitment to increased transparency and predictability, and thereby will be better positioned to expand their trade, investment ties and ensure the benefits of trade are broadly shared throughout their economies.

The IPEF partners welcomed the next steps to implement the Agreement, including operationalizing the Technical Assistance and Capacity Building Coordination Group that will coordinate technical assistance and capacity building (TACB) under the Agreement’s Capacity Building Framework. Some of the TACB initiatives highlighted include:-
- The US Department of Commerce’s Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP)’s two-year program will offer IPEF partners TACB to help with implementation of the anti-corruption provisions of the Agreement, primarily focused on enforcement training centered on foreign bribery, corporate liability, and compliance.
- In August 2024, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Technical Assistance (OTA)’s virtual workshop served as a forum for the IPEF partners to discuss the importance of effective tax administration to support economic and development objectives.
- In October 2024, the US State Department, with the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, will hold an IPEF workshop focused on the implementation and enforcement of foreign bribery laws and another IPEF workshop on preventing corruption in public procurement, including tools to improve the effectiveness of oversight mechanisms, appeal systems, and potential remedies and legal options.
Minister Goyal underscored that peer learning, knowledge sharing and capacity building initiatives under the Fair Economy agreement will remain key to achieving its objectives. India, under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has established a robust anti-corruption regime and has already implemented several legislative, administrative, and regulatory measures to address both corruption and promote tax transparency.

Minister Goyal emphasized that the full potential of IPEF can only be realised if each partner country brings their respective strengths to the table whether it is technological advancements or investment capacity or market potential or requisite resources including skilled workforce, to address various challenges of supply chain resilience or green transition.

The IPEF partners agreed that the Ministers will continue to monitor the progress made to further operationalize the Supply Chain Agreement, the Clean Economy Agreement, the Fair Economy Agreement, and the IPEF Overarching arrangement, and look forward to the first meetings of the ministerial-level IPEF Council and IPEF Joint Commission established under the IPEF Overarching Agreement .

About IPEF

IPEF was launched on 23 May 2022 at Tokyo, Japan, comprising 14 countries – Australia, Brunei, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and USA. The IPEF seeks to strengthen economic engagement and cooperation among partner countries with the goal of advancing growth, economic stability and prosperity in the region.

The framework is structured around four pillars relating to Trade (Pillar I); Supply Chain Resilience (Pillar II); Clean Economy (Pillar III); and Fair Economy (Pillar IV). Agreement on Supply Chain Resilience (Pillars II) was signed in November 2023 and is in force since February 2024. Agreement on Clean Economy (Pillar-III), Agreement on Fair Economy (Pillar- IV) and the IPEF Overarching Agreement were signed by India early this week in Delaware, USA in the presence of the Prime Minister during his 3-day visit to the US. India has maintained an observer status in Pillar-I.

These agreements were negotiated in consultation with line Ministries/Departments including the Ministry of External Affairs and other relevant stakeholders.

***

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MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –
September 29, 2024

MIL-OSI Russia: IMF Executive Board Concludes 2024 Article IV Consultation Discussions with the Kingdom of the Netherlands—Curaçao and Sint Maarten

Source: IMF – News in Russian

September 17, 2024

Washington, DC: On September 10, 2024, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation discussions[1] with the Kingdom of the Netherlands—Curaçao and Sint Maarten and endorsed the staff appraisal without a meeting on a lapse-of-time basis[2]. These consultation discussions form part of the Article IV consultation with the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Context. Curaçao and Sint Maarten have continued to experience a vigorous post-pandemic recovery underpinned by strong stayover tourism, which is outperforming Caribbean peers. Headline inflation has declined rapidly led by international oil price developments, notwithstanding a recent uptick, while core inflation remains elevated. In both countries, current account deficits improved markedly from pandemic years but remain high. Fiscal positions remained strong and in compliance with the fiscal rule. The landspakket, the structural reform package agreed with the Netherlands in 2020, continues to guide both countries’ reform agenda.

Curaçao outlook. Growth is expected to accelerate in 2024 before gradually converging to its potential over the medium term. Stayover tourism supported by fiscal expansion is projected to drive economic growth at a robust 4.5 percent in 2024 due to new airlifts and further expansion in hotel capacity. Growth is then expected to moderate to reach 1.5 percent over the medium term, given subpar investment and productivity growth coupled with sustained population decline and beginning saturation in tourism flows, assuming no further reforms and diversification. Headline inflation is projected to decline mildly to 3.2 percent in 2024 from 3.5 percent in 2023, but to continue falling towards its steady state of around 2 percent by 2027 reflecting international price developments. Fiscal balances would be guided by the fiscal rule and debt would continue to decline, while surpluses narrow as investments return and social spending pressures mount. The current account deficit is expected to improve in the medium term but would remain elevated.

Sint Maarten outlook. Growth is expected to moderate in the medium term as tourism recovery and the reconstruction taper off. Growth is expected to be 2.7 percent in 2024 and 3 percent in 2025, supported by a delayed recovery in cruise passengers towards pre-pandemic levels. However, the near-term outlook is threatened by the electricity load shedding (since June) and political instability. From 2026 onwards, growth is expected to gradually converge towards 1.8 percent as the stimulus from the reconstruction peters out, and tourism growth becomes constrained by the island’s carrying capacity and ailing infrastructure. Inflation is expected to remain broadly contained while remaining vulnerable to international price developments. Over the medium term, the government will continue to comply with the golden fiscal rule and capacity constraints will continue to weigh on public investment.

Monetary Union. Monetary policy is appropriately targeted towards maintaining the peg. Efforts to absorb excess liquidity should continue while closely monitoring developments in core inflation driven by tourism-related services. The financial sector is sound and risks to financial stability have substantially diminished as the CBCS advances its reform agenda. Banks are highly liquid and adequately capitalized and systemic risks are contained. Building on the CBCS’s strong progress in strengthening supervisory and regulatory capacity, and the recent resolution agreement for ENNIA, staff welcomes CBCS’s continued efforts in its reform agenda, including financial stability and crisis management.

Executive Board Assessment[3]

Curaçao

Curaçao’s economy successfully embraced the pivot towards tourism-led growth, giving rise to a strong near-term outlook. After losing key traditional industries, Curaçao quickly and successfully leveraged its tourism potential to grow, attract new hotels, and create jobs. While this is serving the economy well in the near term – growth is projected to accelerate to 4½ in 2024 – structural shifts have started to emerge, including a low-skilled, informal recovery of the labor market amidst low investment in non-tourist sectors. Growth is expected to moderate over the medium term given saturation in tourism flows, sustained population decline, and subpar investment. Notwithstanding the economy’s recent overperformance, inflation declined significantly and only reversed some of its gains recently on the back of higher international oil prices and unfavorable base effects. Inflation is expected to gradually converge towards its steady state rate of around 2 percent. Fiscal policy remains guided by the fiscal rule, albeit past surpluses are expected to unwind, allowing for the reversal of pandemic wage cuts and a return of public investments. The current account markedly improved thanks to lower oil prices but the deficit remains elevated.

Risks to the outlook are broadly balanced. Growth slowdown in major economies could negatively impact tourism receipts, while positive surprises could boost foreign demand. Domestically, a successful expansion of renewable energy and faster-than-expected development of hotel capacity and yachting marinas would boost growth, while delays in public investment and more persistent core inflation could dent tourist experience and competitiveness.

Efforts to safeguard recently created fiscal space are welcome. Overall surpluses in 2022 and 2023 helped reduce debt and granted access to favorable financing terms from the Netherlands. Safeguarding this space and avoiding procyclical impetus is warranted, including through more gradual unwinding of pandemic wage cuts in 2024, prudent liquidity management to repay a bullet loan in 2025, and general efforts to strengthen tax administration, review procurement and domestic arrears management, and streamline transfers to public entities. Ensuing room for maneuver could be used for priority investments, including for climate adaptation, guided by a medium-term fiscal framework steering towards the island’s debt anchor.

Healthcare and pension reforms are needed to lock in a sustainable expenditure path and mitigate medium-term fiscal risks. Growing health and old-age pension deficits, exacerbated by an aging population, pose risks to the sustainability of public finances. Recent initiatives to incentivize the use of generics and raise the pension age are commendable, and more needs to be done to put the system on a sustainable path. Staff sees a broad range of efficiency gains in health spending, including lowering pharmaceuticals and laboratory costs and enhancing primary care’s gatekeeping role. Reforms on the revenue side, including broadening the contributor base and increasing co-payments, are politically more difficult.

Sustaining the positive growth momentum in the medium term requires investments in capital and labor and resolving existing growth bottlenecks. First, moving up the value chain with high-end resorts and complementary recreational activities would help sustain valuable income growth from tourism but requires scaling up investments in infrastructure and deregulating the transportation sector. Second, further investments in electricity grid and energy storage, as well as a revised pricing strategy, are needed to accompany the ongoing energy transition and reap its vast benefits, including lower fuel imports, emissions, and electricity prices. The envisaged floating offshore wind park for hydrogen production would be a game changer for the island. Boosting public investment to achieve these objectives, however, requires ramping up capacity in planning and execution. Third, to further stimulate growth and offset the sustained population decline, formal labor markets and skills would need to be strengthened. And fourth, continued improvements in the business climate in line with the landspakket’s economic reform pillar could help overcome decade-low productivity growth.

Important strides in reducing ML/FT vulnerabilities are welcome and could be built upon. The draft online gaming law, implementation of risk-based supervision, and a new law to address EU grey listing and enable automatic information exchange represent important strides in enhancing Curaçao’s defenses against ML/FT and related reputational risks. Curaçao can further improve upon these important accomplishments, including by passing and implementing the aforementioned legislations in a timely manner and enhancing coordination and monitoring across relevant agencies.

Sint Maarten

Near-term growth is strongly anchored but preserving the positive momentum hinges on investments to revamp an ailing infrastructure and improve tourism’s value added. The economic recovery is well underway, underpinned by tourism recovery and the reconstruction. GDP is expected to surpass its pre-Irma level in 2025. However, without investments to upgrade an ailing infrastructure, growth will falter as the island approaches its maximum carrying capacity. Strategies should continue to focus on enhancing tourist’s experience, differentiating from other Caribbean destinations, and improving tourism’s value added.

A comprehensive strategy is required to durably resolve the electricity crisis. Mobile electricity generators have been leased and efforts to replace old engines are underway. Once the immediate crisis is resolved, efforts should be devoted towards developing a detailed masterplan for the energy transition with targets, projects, costing, timeline, and a comprehensive assessment of ancillary investments. The Trust Fund could receive a new mandate, beyond 2028, to operate as a public investment agency in charge of planning, securing the financing, and implementing plans for the energy transition.

Revenue mobilization efforts are essential to ensure fiscal sustainability. Plans to lower tax rates, to make the country more competitive with neighboring islands, should be avoided as this would reduce government’s revenues and endanger fiscal sustainability. Instead, additional revenues are required to satisfy the fiscal rule, service loans with the Netherlands, raise public wages to attract and retain talent, increase transfers to cover public health costs, and clear public arrears with the SZV. Envisaged reforms to enhance the tax administration and to digitize and interface government systems should be complemented with plans to i) tax casinos’ profits, turnover, and winnings; ii) enforce the lodging tax on short-term rentals, and income and profit tax on the proceeds from such rentals; iii) update the price of land leases; and iv) institute a tourist levy at the airport.

Without reforms, the healthcare and pensions funds are unsustainable. Health premiums and government transfers are insufficient to cover health costs, which are being cross-financed with pension savings. With unchanged policies, given population aging and rising administrative costs, both health and pensions funds will run deficits by 2027, and the SZV would deplete its liquid assets by 2027. By 2030, the government would need to transfer about 4 percent of GDP per year to sustain the system. Reforms are urgently needed to contain health costs including: i) introducing the General Health Insurance, ii) rationalizing benefits, iii) extending the use of generics, iv) optimizing referrals, v) strengthening preventing care, and vi) adopting out-of-pocket payments. Given the rapid pace of population aging, additional measures such as increasing the contribution rates and linking the retirement age to life expectancy, should also be considered.

Strengthening the implementation of AML/CFT measures is necessary to increase effectiveness of the AML/CFT regime. Laws for an effective AML/CFT framework were approved but their implementation is lagging. UBO registration is yet to begin, while the investigation and prosecution of suspicious activities is lacking. Granting the FIU full independence to investigate and prosecute cases, and increasing its budget for recruitment and operations could strengthen the AML/CFT framework.

The Monetary Union of Curaçao and Sint Maarten

The current account deficit is expected to improve in the medium term but would remain elevated, while international reserves are expected to remain broadly stable. Large CADs in both countries are expected to improve and remain well-financed, leading to a stable and broadly adequate level of international reserves over the medium term. Curaçao’s external position is assessed to be weaker than implied by fundamentals and desired policy settings due to an elevated CAD and sustained appreciation of the real effective exchange rate, while that of Sint Maarten is considered in line with fundamentals and desired policy settings.

Monetary policy is appropriately targeted towards maintaining the peg. In line with global monetary policy tightening, the CBCS increased its benchmark rate during 2022-23 and has kept it unchanged since September 2023. Efforts to absorb excess liquidity should continue while closely monitoring developments in core inflation driven by tourism-related services. Even though credit growth declined further and reached negative territory in real terms amidst monetary tightening, the transmission mechanism of monetary policy remains weak. Structural factors include the absence of interbank and government securities markets. The continued increase in mortgages, the only credit component to display growth, was accompanied by a broadly stable loan-to-value ratio on aggregate, albeit more granular data is needed to monitor potential vulnerabilities. Further acceleration in mortgage credit could warrant introducing a macro prudential limit below the currently by banks self-imposed ratio.

The financial sector is sound and risks to financial stability have substantially diminished as the CBCS advances its reform agenda. Banks are highly liquid and adequately capitalized and systemic risks are contained. Near-term risks to financial stability have substantially diminished with the agreement for a controlled wind-down of ENNIA and the start of the restructuring process, as well as the CBCS’s continued improvements in supervision, regulation, and governance. Staff welcomes CBCS’s initiatives to establish a financial stability committee, further refine stress-testing, and enhance crisis management capacities, including lender of last resort and a deposit insurance scheme.

Table 1. Curaçao: Selected Economic and Financial Indicators, 2020–25
(Percent of GDP unless otherwise indicated)

	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
	Prel.	Prel.	Prel.	Prel.	Proj.

Real Economy
Real GDP (percent change)	-18.0	4.2	7.9	4.2	4.5	3.5
CPI (12-month average, percent change)	2.2	3.8	7.4	3.5	3.2	2.4
CPI (end of period, percent change)	2.2	4.8	8.4	3.1	3.2	2.4
GDP deflator (percent change)	2.2	3.8	4.0	3.5	3.2	2.4
Unemployment rate (percent) 1/	13.1	13.5	7.2	7.0	6.9	6.6

Central Government Finances 2/
Net operating (current) balance	-15.0	-10.6	0.7	0.6	0.0	0.5
Primary balance	-13.2	-8.8	2.0	2.5	2.0	1.9
Overall balance	-14.5	-10.0	1.0	1.3	0.1	0.5
Central government debt 3/	87.1	90.3	81.6	70.8	65.4	61.1
General Government Finances 2, 4/
Overall balance	-15.7	-10.4	0.3	0.9	-0.3	-0.1

Balance of Payments
Current account	-27.2	-18.6	-26.8	-19.7	-17.9	-16.5
Goods trade balance	-37.0	-41.6	-47.9	-38.3	-40.4	-39.9
Exports of goods	10.7	12.5	18.0	16.9	16.5	16.2
Imports of goods	47.7	54.1	65.9	55.2	56.9	56.1
Service balance	9.6	21.7	20.5	18.4	22.6	23.7
Exports of services	29.3	37.2	48.6	46.6	50.3	51.3
Imports of services	19.7	15.6	28.1	28.2	27.7	27.6
External debt	197.3	194.8	180.9	177.1	169.1	164.0

Memorandum Items
Nominal GDP (millions of U.S. dollars)	2,534	2,740	3,075	3,318	3,578	3,789
Per capita GDP (U.S. dollars)	16,492	18,135	20,648	22,160	23,775	25,065
Credit to non-government sectors (percent change)	0.1	-9.7	3.2	2.5	…	…

Sources: The Curaçao authorities and IMF staff estimates and projections.
1/ Staff understands that the unemployment rate of 7.0 percent published in the 2023 Census data is not comparable to the historically published unemployment rates from the labor force survey by the Curacao Bureau of Statistics. As such, staff estimated the unemployment rate and overall labor force for the period of 2012 to 2022. Staff understands that the Curacao Bureau of Statistics intends to revise the historical series in the near future.
2/ Defined as balance sheet liabilities of the central government except equities. Includes central government liabilities to the social security funds.
3/ Budgetary central government consolidated with the social security fund (SVB).
4/ The latest available datapoint is as of 2018. Values for 2019-2023 are IMF staff estimates based on BOP flow data.

Table 2. Sint Maarten: Selected Economic Indicators 2020–25
(Percent of GDP unless otherwise indicated)

	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024	2025
	Est.	Est.	Est.	Est.	Proj.
Real Economy
Real GDP (percent change) 1/	-20.4	7.1	13.9	3.5	2.7	3.0
CPI (12-month average, percent change)	0.7	2.8	3.6	2.1	2.5	2.3
Unemployment rate (percent) 2/	16.9	10.8	9.9	8.6	8.5	8.2

Government Finances
Primary balance excl. Trust Fund operations 3/	-8.7	-5.4	-0.6	1.5	0.9	0.9
Current balance (Authorities’ definition) 4/	-9.6	-6.3	-1.5	0.5	-0.1	0.0
Overall balance excl. TF operations	-9.3	-5.9	-1.1	1.0	0.2	0.2
Central government debt 5/	56.1	55.3	49.3	49.0	46.2	44.1

Balance of Payments
Current account	-25.5	-24.6	-3.9	-7.5	-7.8	-3.0
Goods trade balance	-40.7	-49.8	-59.2	-59.3	-62.4	-60.5
Exports of goods	11.8	11.4	14.1	14.8	13.1	11.2
Imports of goods	52.4	61.2	73.2	74.1	75.5	71.7
Service balance	20.2	33.1	62.8	60.3	62.6	65.2
Exports of services	34.4	51.0	78.7	81.4	81.5	83.9
Imports of services	14.3	17.9	15.9	21.1	18.9	18.7
External debt 6/	274.3	253.7	213.6	206.3	200.8	194.0

Memorandum Items
Nominal GDP (millions of U.S. dollars)	1,141	1,268	1,479	1,563	1,645	1,733
Per capita GDP (U.S. dollars)	26,796	29,646	34,437	36,088	37,570	39,160
Credit to non-gov. sectors (percent change)	2.4	1.3	4.5	1.0	…	…


Sources:
1/ Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten and IMF staff estimates.
2/ The size of the 2022 labor force reported by the 2023 Census was adjusted to ensure consistency with the reported total population.
3/ Excludes Trust Fund (TF) grants and TF-financed special projects.
4/ Revenue excl. grants minus interest income, current expenditure and depreciation of fixed assets.
5/ The stock of debt in 2018 is based on financial statements. Values in subsequent years are staff’s estimates and are higher than the values under authorities’ definition in quarterly fiscal reports.
6/ The latest available datapoint is as of 2018. Values for 2019-2022 are IMF staff estimates based on BOP flow data.

[1] Under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement, the IMF holds bilateral discussions with members, usually every year. A staff team visits the country, collects economic and financial information, and discusses with officials the country’s economic developments and policies. On return to headquarters, the staff prepares a report, which forms the basis for discussion by the Executive Board.

[2] The Executive Board takes decisions under its lapse-of-time-procedure when the Board agrees that a proposal can be considered without convening formal discussions.

[3] At the conclusion of the discussion, the Managing Director, as Chairman of the Board, summarizes the views of Executive Directors, and this summary is transmitted to the country’s authorities. An explanation of any qualifiers used in summings up can be found here: http://www.IMF.org/external/np/sec/misc/qualifiers.htm.

IMF Communications Department

MEDIA RELATIONS

PRESS OFFICER: Reah Sy

Phone: +1 202 623-7100Email: MEDIA@IMF.org

@IMFSpokesperson

https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2024/09/17/pr-24330-curacao-and-sint-maarten-imf-board-concludes-2024-article-iv-consultation-discussions

MIL OSI

MIL OSI Russia News –

September 29, 2024

MIL-OSI Canada: Government of Canada Investments in Electric Vehicles
Source: Government of Canada News

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced a federal investment of $14.9 million for 20 projects to advance zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure, codes and standards, and education across Canada.
Everyone has a role to play in tackling climate change. The widespread shift to electric vehicles (EVs) is critical to decarbonizing on-road transportation, which accounts for 18 percent of Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions — of which 50 percent is produced by light-duty vehicles (LDV), or passenger cars.

In addition, clean fuels, such as clean hydrogen, advanced biofuels, liquid synthetic fuels and renewable natural gas, will play a critical role in hard to decarbonize sectors such as industry and medium- and heavy-duty freight.

Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, announced a federal investment of $14.9 million for 20 projects to advance zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) infrastructure, codes and standards, and education across Canada.

Zero Emissions Vehicle Infrastructure Program Projects
- Kang and Gill Construction Limited in Victoria, B.C.: An investment of $340,000 to install 68 EV chargers by March 31, 2024.
- Halifax County Condominium Corporation #240 in Halifax, Nova Scotia: An investment of $110,000 to install 22 EV chargers by April 2023.
- Halifax International Airport in Goffs, Nova Scotia: An investment of $180,000 to install 37 EV chargers by December 2024.
- Park Royal Shopping Centre Holdings Ltd., West Vancouver, North Vancouver and Whistler, B.C.: An investment of $242,000 from NRCan to install 50 EV chargers by November 2023.
- Concert Realty Services Ltd, Vancouver, B.C.: An investment of $190,000 from NRCan to install 38 EV chargers by January 2025.
- Westbank Projects Corp., Toronto, Ontario, and Vancouver, B.C.: An investment of $4,914,660 to install 2635 EV chargers by May 2025.
- THE OWNERS, STRATA PLAN BCS4321, Vancouver, B.C.: An investment of $150,000 to install 30 EV chargers by June 2024.
- Austeville Properties Ltd., Vancouver, B.C.: An investment of $250,000 to install 50 EV chargers by October 2025.
- 1125 Denman Developments Limited Partnership by its general partner Denman Developments Ltd, Vancouver, BC: An investment of $500,000 to install 16 EV chargers by July 2025.
- The Owners Strata Plan LMS1108 “The National,” Vancouver, B.C.: An investment of $260,000 to install 60 EV chargers by May 2024.
- Strata Corporation LMS4255 “Marinaside Resort,” Vancouver, B.C.: An investment of $500,000 to install 140 EV chargers by May 2024.
- 1229488 BC Ltd., Vancouver, B.C.: An investment of $99,999, to install 23 EV chargers by March 2024.
Zero Emissions Vehicle Awareness Initiative
- Plug’N Drive, Toronto, Ontario: An investment of $1,560,633 to raise awareness of electric vehicles across Canada through a comprehensive awareness and experiential campaign, featuring test drives targeting small and medium-sized communities with limited experience or exposure to electric vehicles.
- Create Climate Equity Association in Coquitlam, B.C.: An investment of $100,000 to engage one or more lower-income, underserved, urban communities in the City of Vancouver, B.C., on transportation needs and develop a design for equity-based, zero-emission mobility solutions for the participating communities.
- Steel River Group Ltd in Calgary, Alberta: An investment of $300,000 to empower and equip Indigenous youth with the essential knowledge, skills and confidence to lead sustainable transportation and clean energy initiatives in their communities.
- Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton, Alberta: An investment of $247,045 to develop non-credit courses on the maintenance of hydrogen fuel cell buses and heavy-duty vehicles to educate fleet owners, operators and heavy-duty vehicle mechanics and technicians on the use and maintenance of MHDVs and raise public confidence and awareness in zero-emission MHDV.
- HUB Cycling, Vancouver, B.C.: An investment of $241,545 to increase awareness and uptake of e-mobility for transportation across the province of British Columbia.
Minister Wilkinson also announced $3.6 million in funding for CSA Group to update codes and standards related to ZEV infrastructure through the Energy Innovation Program:
- CSA Group, Toronto, Ontario, $3,616,373. The objective of this project is to establish and revise codes and standards, develop guideline documents, manage committees, perform literature reviews for zero-emission transportation infrastructure, covering advanced charging equipment, energy storage, management and various transportation modes.
Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada – Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP)

Lastly, Minister Wilkinson announced a joint investment of more than $3.1 million through the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program for two green infrastructure projects in British Columbia. The projects will enhance access to clean transportation options, use B.C.’s clean electricity supply and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Public Electric Vehicle Charging Expansion – Phase 3 in Vancouver, B.C.
  o The federal government is investing $824,600 through the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The Government of British Columbia is investing $687,098 through the CleanBC Communities Fund. The City of Vancouver is contributing $549,802.
  o The project will install approximately 15 Level 2 and nine direct-current fast-charge electric vehicle charging ports around parklands in the city, along with electric and mechanical system upgrades.
- Public Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in the District of North Vancouver, B.C.:
  o The federal government is investing $217,447 through the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. The Government of British Columbia is investing $579,821 through the CleanBC Communities Fund. The District of North Vancouver is contributing $289,965.
  o The project will install a public network of approximately 10 Level 2 and two direct-current fast-charge electric vehicle charging ports along key transportation routes, in priority buildings and near multi-family and social housing in the district.
MIL OSI Canada News –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Africa: Critical minerals sector key to driving global economic growth

Source: South Africa News Agency

President Cyril Ramaphosa has emphasised the importance of the critical minerals sector in driving global economic growth and sustainability.

By leveraging key sectors such as mining, energy, and manufacturing, the President said South Africa is set to improve its business environment and attract much-needed investment.

He was addressing the African Minerals Forum hosted by the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) and Prosper Africa on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79), in New York, USA, on Monday.

He highlighted that four months ago, South Africa held national general elections, which ushered in a Government of National Unity, where 10 political parties have come together to coalesce around a common agenda for economic growth and sustainable development.

President Ramaphosa underlined South Africa’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change through the country’s Just Energy Transition Plan. This plan aims to guide the shift from coal to renewable energy, while also ensuring equitable economic opportunities for affected communities.

“South Africa’s and Africa’s critical minerals sector has a crucial role to play in this regard, and we recognise the importance of collaboration with other countries to develop the potential of our critical minerals sector.

“The US in particular has established expertise in advanced mining technologies, automation and sustainability practices.

“We want to strengthen our ties with US companies and institutions to foster technological advancements, enhance supply chain efficiencies and attract investment into our mining sector,” the President said.

The President also emphasised that South Africa strongly endorses the United Nations Secretary-General’s position paper on Critical Energy Transition Minerals, where he highlights the importance of beneficiation, benefit sharing, local value addition and economic diversification.

“It would not be an understatement to say that the minerals that lie beneath the soil of Africa are powering the green energy revolution. Thirty percent of the world’s proven critical mineral reserves are found in Sub-Saharan Africa.

“South Africa has substantial reserves of platinum group metals, manganese, vanadium as well as chromium.

“These resources are fundamental to the development of cutting-edge technologies that drive progress in various sectors. What will be critical is to ensure that this progress does not leave Africa behind,” he said.

The President stressed the need to avoid perpetuating colonial-era exploitation, where African countries primarily export raw minerals. He said that by focusing on beneficiation and domestic processing, African nations could see significant economic growth.

President Ramaphosa highlighted that beneficiation and local processing of critical minerals could increase the continent’s GDP by 12% or more by 2050.

He cited estimates suggesting that African countries could generate USD 24 billion annually in GDP and create 2.3 million jobs by investing in mining beneficiation and domestic processing.

President Ramaphosa highlighted the strides made by SASOL, South Africa’s flagship petrochemical company, in leading green hydrogen technologies research and development.

“As the global automotive industry moves towards Electric Vehicles and New Energy Vehicles, we are leveraging our rich experience with automotive production to get some of the world’s leading automotive manufactures with a footprint in South Africa to produce more their green vehicles in our country,” he said.

Despite improvements in the beneficiation of South Africa’s mineral exports, President Ramaphosa admitted that more needs to be done.

He underscored the country’s commitment to creating a supportive policy framework for the critical minerals sector, focused on streamlining regulations, fostering innovation in mining technologies, building workforce skills, improving transport and logistics infrastructure, and incentivising investment.

South Africa’s five-point policy approach aims to create a supportive environment for the critical minerals sector. This includes simplifying regulations, supporting research and development in mining technologies, investing in workforce skills, improving logistics infrastructure, and incentivising domestic and international investment.

“South Africa also has a beneficiation strategy that seeks to translate the benefits of our country’s mineral endowments into a national competitive advantage.

“As the UN Secretary-General’s paper has noted, Critical Energy Transition Minerals can transform economies, create green jobs and foster sustainable local, regional and global development,” he said.

President Ramaphosa further stressed that for the potential of critical minerals to be fully realised, both mineral-producing nations and their end-user countries must embrace inclusivity.

He emphasised the importance of creating decent work opportunities, eradicating exploitative practices such as child and forced labour, and ensuring human rights protections.

Local beneficiation and industrialisation were highlighted as priorities, alongside environmental safeguards to ensure sustainable extraction practices.

The President urged for a long-term focus on inter-generational equity, recognising that critical minerals are vital for solving global challenges like climate change, energy, and food insecurity.

He called on US companies to collaborate in fostering sustainable development.

“By leveraging our respective strengths, pursuing strategic collaborations, and implementing supportive policies, we stand ready to meet the demands of the global market and drive sustainable development.

“I call on US companies and investors to join us on our journey,” he said. – SAnews.gov.za

MIL OSI Africa –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Economics: New York State Joins the Global Offshore Wind Alliance

Source: Global Wind Energy Council – GWEC

Headline: New York State Joins the Global Offshore Wind Alliance

24 September 2024, New York, USA | The State of New York announced its membership of the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) – joining a network of governments, international organizations, and private sector actors committed to expanding offshore wind capacity globally and driving the transition to a clean energy future.

GOWA is a multi-stakeholder alliance that aims to speed up the global deployment of offshore wind power. The alliance was launched at COP27 by Denmark, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). Twenty governments have already joined GOWA. The addition of the State of New York further strengthens the global collaboration between regional and national governments and creates a more unified and coordinated approach to offshore wind development across the globe.

Doreen M. Harris, President and CEO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), said: “New York is honored to join the Global Offshore Wind Alliance as we work with other government partners to grow and build-out the offshore wind industry, which is a critical component of the renewable energy infrastructure in New York and worldwide. This collaboration, which spans from sharing lessons and best practices to helping scale up offshore wind projects, will help further advance and sustain this powerhouse industry as we harness its full potential to secure a clean energy future.”

“New York’s decision to join GOWA is a very timely step in uniting global efforts to expand the deployment of offshore wind energy. The commitment of New York not only enhances the alliance but also strengthens the collaboration between regional and national actors, improves energy security and pushes forward toward our shared global climate goals,” said Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, Lars Aagaard.

Francesco La Camera, Director-General of IRENA, welcomed New York State joining GOWA: “Through GOWA, we work closely with governments, industry, and investors to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind projects worldwide. Offshore wind offers a pathway to decarbonize our power systems, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth. Our World Energy Transitions Outlook projects that offshore wind capacity must increase sevenfold by 2030 and more than thirtyfold by 2050 to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C. We need policies that incentivize investment, streamlined permitting processes, and innovative financing solutions.”

As a pioneer in renewable energy, New York has already set ambitious targets under its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, including the deployment of at least 9 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035, a goal of at least 70 percent of New York’s electricity being generated from renewable sources by 2030 and a commitment to 100 percent zero-emission electricity by 2040. By joining GOWA, New York contributes to the global effort to accelerate renewable energy development, including the push for tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, a key global goal decided at COP28.

The GOWA membership fosters collaboration between regional and national governments, a partnership important for advancing the offshore wind industry. This cooperation enables more efficient offshore wind deployment by combining the innovation and localized expertise of regional governments with the broader policy frameworks and resources provided by national authorities.

“The continuous growth of GOWA’s membership reflects a steadfast commitment to offshore wind as a vital force in achieving net zero, supported by multi-national, national, and sub-national governments. I’m encouraged by the eagerness of key players to join our community, united in addressing the challenges of accelerating offshore wind development. New York’s decision to join GOWA at this critical juncture will bring invaluable expertise from a market that has weathered challenging conditions. I look forward to collaborating with New York and all GOWA members as we chart the global offshore wind pathway toward 2050.” – Amisha Patel, Head of Secretariat (Interim), Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA).

Ben Backwell, CEO of GWEC, said: “The growth of the Global Offshore Wind Alliance demonstrates the vital role offshore wind plays in the energy transition and the importance of collaboration to delivering on the world’s renewable energy ambitions. The addition of the State of New York to the Alliance brings another strong voice and invaluable expertise to the group. The US offshore wind industry is a key part of the energy transition’s acceleration this decade, and we look forward to supporting the State of New York’s efforts in making their offshore wind sector an example for the rest of the world to follow”

He also highlighted GWEC’s research findings:

“GWEC’s research suggests the world could deliver GOWA’s target of 380 GW of offshore wind by 2030, but only with the right frameworks in place. The collaborative work of the Alliance is fundamental to establishing and expanding this framework around the world and ensuring offshore wind delivers on its potential as a key tool of the energy transition.”

GOWA’s goal is to significantly increase the global offshore wind capacity, aiming for a total of at least 380 GW by 2030 and at least 70 GW each year from 2030 onwards. This expansion is essential for reaching global climate neutrality by 2050 and limiting global warming to below 1.5°C, as outlined in the Paris Agreement.

With New York State as its newest member, GOWA now includes 21 member governments, including the European Commission and three subnational governments, and ten other key stakeholders, including the offshore wind sector, inter-governmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations.

MIL OSI Economics –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Economics: Singapore steps up participation in global offshore wind development with new partnership to catalyse project and innovation opportunities

Source: Global Wind Energy Council – GWEC

Headline: Singapore steps up participation in global offshore wind development with new partnership to catalyse project and innovation opportunities

Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) is a member-based organisation that represents the entire wind energy sector. The members of GWEC represent over 1,500 companies, organisations and institutions in more than 80 countries, including manufacturers, developers, component suppliers, research institutes, national wind and renewables associations, electricity providers, finance and insurance companies.

Find out more

MIL OSI Economics –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Banking: New York State Joins the Global Offshore Wind Alliance

Source: Global Wind Energy Council – GWEC

Headline: New York State Joins the Global Offshore Wind Alliance

24 September 2024, New York, USA | The State of New York announced its membership of the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) – joining a network of governments, international organizations, and private sector actors committed to expanding offshore wind capacity globally and driving the transition to a clean energy future.

GOWA is a multi-stakeholder alliance that aims to speed up the global deployment of offshore wind power. The alliance was launched at COP27 by Denmark, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). Twenty governments have already joined GOWA. The addition of the State of New York further strengthens the global collaboration between regional and national governments and creates a more unified and coordinated approach to offshore wind development across the globe.

Doreen M. Harris, President and CEO, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), said: “New York is honored to join the Global Offshore Wind Alliance as we work with other government partners to grow and build-out the offshore wind industry, which is a critical component of the renewable energy infrastructure in New York and worldwide. This collaboration, which spans from sharing lessons and best practices to helping scale up offshore wind projects, will help further advance and sustain this powerhouse industry as we harness its full potential to secure a clean energy future.”

“New York’s decision to join GOWA is a very timely step in uniting global efforts to expand the deployment of offshore wind energy. The commitment of New York not only enhances the alliance but also strengthens the collaboration between regional and national actors, improves energy security and pushes forward toward our shared global climate goals,” said Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, Lars Aagaard.

Francesco La Camera, Director-General of IRENA, welcomed New York State joining GOWA: “Through GOWA, we work closely with governments, industry, and investors to accelerate the deployment of offshore wind projects worldwide. Offshore wind offers a pathway to decarbonize our power systems, create jobs, and stimulate economic growth. Our World Energy Transitions Outlook projects that offshore wind capacity must increase sevenfold by 2030 and more than thirtyfold by 2050 to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C. We need policies that incentivize investment, streamlined permitting processes, and innovative financing solutions.”

As a pioneer in renewable energy, New York has already set ambitious targets under its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, including the deployment of at least 9 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035, a goal of at least 70 percent of New York’s electricity being generated from renewable sources by 2030 and a commitment to 100 percent zero-emission electricity by 2040. By joining GOWA, New York contributes to the global effort to accelerate renewable energy development, including the push for tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, a key global goal decided at COP28.

The GOWA membership fosters collaboration between regional and national governments, a partnership important for advancing the offshore wind industry. This cooperation enables more efficient offshore wind deployment by combining the innovation and localized expertise of regional governments with the broader policy frameworks and resources provided by national authorities.

“The continuous growth of GOWA’s membership reflects a steadfast commitment to offshore wind as a vital force in achieving net zero, supported by multi-national, national, and sub-national governments. I’m encouraged by the eagerness of key players to join our community, united in addressing the challenges of accelerating offshore wind development. New York’s decision to join GOWA at this critical juncture will bring invaluable expertise from a market that has weathered challenging conditions. I look forward to collaborating with New York and all GOWA members as we chart the global offshore wind pathway toward 2050.” – Amisha Patel, Head of Secretariat (Interim), Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA).

Ben Backwell, CEO of GWEC, said: “The growth of the Global Offshore Wind Alliance demonstrates the vital role offshore wind plays in the energy transition and the importance of collaboration to delivering on the world’s renewable energy ambitions. The addition of the State of New York to the Alliance brings another strong voice and invaluable expertise to the group. The US offshore wind industry is a key part of the energy transition’s acceleration this decade, and we look forward to supporting the State of New York’s efforts in making their offshore wind sector an example for the rest of the world to follow”

He also highlighted GWEC’s research findings:

“GWEC’s research suggests the world could deliver GOWA’s target of 380 GW of offshore wind by 2030, but only with the right frameworks in place. The collaborative work of the Alliance is fundamental to establishing and expanding this framework around the world and ensuring offshore wind delivers on its potential as a key tool of the energy transition.”

GOWA’s goal is to significantly increase the global offshore wind capacity, aiming for a total of at least 380 GW by 2030 and at least 70 GW each year from 2030 onwards. This expansion is essential for reaching global climate neutrality by 2050 and limiting global warming to below 1.5°C, as outlined in the Paris Agreement.

With New York State as its newest member, GOWA now includes 21 member governments, including the European Commission and three subnational governments, and ten other key stakeholders, including the offshore wind sector, inter-governmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations.

MIL OSI Global Banks –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Banking: Singapore steps up participation in global offshore wind development with new partnership to catalyse project and innovation opportunities

Source: Global Wind Energy Council – GWEC

Headline: Singapore steps up participation in global offshore wind development with new partnership to catalyse project and innovation opportunities

Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) is a member-based organisation that represents the entire wind energy sector. The members of GWEC represent over 1,500 companies, organisations and institutions in more than 80 countries, including manufacturers, developers, component suppliers, research institutes, national wind and renewables associations, electricity providers, finance and insurance companies.

Find out more

MIL OSI Global Banks –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz

Source: Government of Canada – Prime Minister

Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, on the margins of the 79th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.

Prime Minister Trudeau and Chancellor Scholz underscored the close relationship between Canada and Germany. They discussed shared priorities, such as addressing climate change, advancing clean energy including green hydrogen, expanding economic co-operation, promoting trade and investment, and achieving progress toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals through the actions committed to at the Summit of the Future.

The two leaders discussed shared concerns over recent escalations in the Middle East and agreed on the importance of promoting lasting peace and security in the region. They also reiterated their commitment to stand with Ukraine as Russia continues its unjustifiable war of aggression.

Prime Minister Trudeau and Chancellor Scholz agreed to remain in close and regular contact and looked forward to continue working together to advance shared priorities, including in the context of Canada’s G7 Presidency next year.

Associated Links

MIL OSI Canada News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI Translation: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –

Source: Prime Minister of Canada – in French

Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz on the margins of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

Prime Minister Trudeau and Chancellor Scholz highlighted the close relationship between Canada and Germany. They discussed shared priorities, including combating climate change, advancing clean energy such as green hydrogen, expanding economic cooperation, promoting trade and investment, and making progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through actions announced at the Future Summit.

The two leaders discussed their shared concerns over the recent escalation of tensions in the Middle East and agreed on the need to promote lasting peace and security in the region. They also reiterated their readiness to support Ukraine in the face of Russia’s continuation of its unjustifiable war of aggression.

Prime Minister Trudeau and Chancellor Scholz agreed to remain in close and regular contact and looked forward to continuing to work together to advance their shared priorities, including in the context of Canada’s G7 presidency next year.

Related links

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.

MIL Translation OSI

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Transport – Transporting New Zealand calls for additional measures to support the Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund

Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

National road freight association Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand has welcomed the launch of the Low Emissions Heavy Vehicle Fund (the LEHVF) but says additional policy changes and investment are required to support freight decarbonisation.

The fund, administered by the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority (EECA) can contribute up to 25 per cent of the cost of new zero and low-emissions heavy vehicles.

The LEHVF can also contribute up to 25 per cent of the cost to convert existing higher emitting heavy vehicles to be powered by low-emissions technology – including hydrogen-diesel dual fuel engines. EECA has estimated the LEHVF could prevent 366,622 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions, replacing 500 diesel-only vehicles by 2028.

Dom Kalasih says the 27-million-dollar fund will help Transporting New Zealand’s members get zero and low carbon trucks on the road, reducing transport emissions.

“The road freight sector is committed to decarbonisation, including adopting low and zero emission vehicles. However, the high purchase cost and limited range and freight capacity of many available models is a big barrier to uptake. In a low margin industry like ours, practical support from the Government is essential.”

“Battery electric trucks cost between 2-3 times more than internal combustion equivalents, with limited range and loads. Freight customers are understandably price sensitive, particularly in the current economic climate, and this can make low and zero emission freight services a tough sell.”

Transporting New Zealand is also calling for the Government to prioritise three actions to support decarbonisation in the road freight sector:

– introduce accelerated depreciation for low and zero emission vehicles (including higher productivity motor vehicles);

– reform the vehicle dimension and mass rules to allow more battery weight on front axles; and

– strengthen roads surfaces and bridges to allow heavier, more efficient, electric vehicles and high productivity motor vehicles to access more of the roading network.

“Co-funding vehicle purchases is an important piece of the puzzle, but getting our regulatory settings and roading network ready for more efficient vehicles is also essential to increasing uptake and driving down emissions.”

Transporting New Zealand is currently working with several other transport associations and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi to propose practical amendments to the Land Transport Rules that will improve freight efficiency.

About Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand is the peak national membership association representing the road freight transport industry. Our members operate urban, rural and inter- regional commercial freight transport services throughout the country.

Road is the dominant freight mode in New Zealand, transporting 92.8% of the freight task on a tonnage basis, and 75.1% on a tonne-km basis. The road freight transport industry employs over 34,000 people across more than 4,700 businesses, with an annual turnover of $6 billion.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI: Haffner Energy teams up with Bambbco, France’s leading bamboo provider, to diversify sustainable biomass procurement
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Haffner Energy teams up with Bambbco, France’s leading bamboo provider, to diversify sustainable biomass procurement

Vitry-le-François, September 24, 2024, at 8:00 am (CEST)

Haffner Energy and Bambbco, France’s leading bamboo provider, announce that they have signed a partnership. Both companies are based in France and share a common goal of improving the availability of biomass for energy applications, especially from crops grown on marginal land.

Biomass, the leading source of renewable energy in France and around the world, often faces conflicts of use. Diversifying sustainable sources of biomass that is free of conflicts of use, thanks to regenerative, resilient, and productive crops such as bamboo grown on marginal lands and barren grounds, is a strategic challenge. The contribution of such crops to decarbonization is going to be significant.

Haffner Energy has developed an innovative, patented biomass and organic waste thermolysis technology, backed by 30 years of experience. This technology produces renewable hydrogen and clean fuels for industry and mobility applications. In addition, it generates biocarbon (char or biochar), a natural carbon sink, and biogenic CO₂.   

Bambbco is a nature-based solutions company that uses several species of bamboo to produce renewable energy, sequester carbon, prevent soil erosion, re-establish the water cycle, promote biodiversity, and contribute to the biomass-to-energy circular economy. Bambbco is a laureate of France’s start-up booster program French Tech.

Bamboo produces up to four times as much biomass , as wood residues from a forest in standard conditions. In addition, bamboo displays remarkable characteristics such as being drought tolerant, requiring no chemical inputs, and capturing heavy metals and toxic chemical elements through its roots system. Those properties make it an ideal candidate for soil and ecosystem regeneration on marginal land, while simultaneously generating value.

“Europe is the only continent in the world where bamboo is not recognized yet for its many benefits, from regenerating marginal lands and natural ecosystems to providing a highly sustainable, renewable, and competitive alternative to wood and wood residues for countless applications,” points out Pierre-Alexandre Lemarquis, CEO of Bambbco. “I am excited about the forward-looking approach that Haffner Energy is taking with regard to biomass procurement. Together, we’ll be able to develop local, circular economy-based ecosystems for clean fuels production projects,” he adds.

“We are happy to engage with Bambbco and develop biomass-to-energy projects in locations that would otherwise not be suitable. Barren areas can be brought back to life with robust energy crops and our technology,” says Marcella Franchi, Haffner Energy Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Sales. “We can’t wait to show visitors the new bamboo plantation at our new center in Marolles (Marne County, France). The plants can be used on location, among various feedstocks, to produce renewable syngas and hydrogen, and they will beautify the site.”

The signing of this partnership will enable Haffner Energy and Bambbco to offer a turnkey solution for the production of green energy, with guaranteed feedstock availability and cost all year round. It builds on Haffner Energy’s strategy to diversify sustainable biomass procurement, initiated earlier this year with the signing of a partnership with XanoGrass developer Hexas, in the United States.

The aggregated environmental virtues of those solutions are formidable:
- Securing biomass procurement
- Capturing CO₂ through photosynthesis
- Sequestering CO₂ in biocarbon (char or biochar) and biogenic CO₂ through Haffner Energy’s solutions
- Regenerating marginal lands and creating value thanks to specialty crops
- Avoiding greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating fossil energy and replacing it by the ultimate renewable energy — energy from energy crops grown on marginal land
About Haffner Energy

Haffner Energy, located in France, supplies solutions to produce competitive clean fuels. Backed by 30 years of experience, its innovative and patented biomass thermolysis technology makes possible the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), as well as renewable gas, hydrogen, and methanol. The company also contributes to carbon sequestration through the co-production of biogenic CO₂ and biocarbon (char or biochar). For more information: www.haffner-energy.com

About Bambbco

Bambbco is the company that has been pioneering the sustainable production of bamboo biomass in France. Founded with the mission to promote responsible agricultural practices and provide renewable resources for various industries, including energy, Bambbco has quickly established itself in the emerging biomass sector. For more information: www.bambbco.com

Media relations

HAFFNER ENERGY
Laetitia Mailhes
laetitia.mailhes@haffner-energy.com
+33 (0) 6 13 04 62 01

BAMBBCO
Pierre-Alexandre Lemarquis
contact@bambbco.com
+33 (0)7 64 69 53 94

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The MIL Network –
September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Business – Ārohia Trailblazers set to forge path to global markets

Source: Callaghan Innovation

Callaghan Innovation will support seven trailblazing Kiwi businesses with bold ideas to succeed in global markets, while forging new pathways for like-minded Kiwi innovators.

Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology, Judith Collins announced the Ārohia Trailblazer grant recipients at the New Zealand Aerospace Summit today in Christchurch.

Callaghan Innovation has allocated $17.5 million in co-funding to Astrix Astronautics, Basis NZ, Emrod, Fabrum Solutions, Toku Eyes, Zincovery Process Technologies and Zenno Astronautics. The Ārohia Trailblazer

Innovation Grant supports businesses that are benefiting the Aotearoa New Zealand innovation ecosystem, and have global potential.

“Congratulations to these Kiwi innovators who have developed these impressive, and ambitious innovations with the potential for success here and in global markets.

“We look forward to following their success as they inspire and enable other, like-minded ambitious innovators,” says Callaghan Innovation Chief Product Officer, Brett Calton.

“These trailblazers represent diverse sectors, including HealthTech, CleanTech and aerospace, that are growing and have the potential to make a bigger impact globally.”

About the recipients:

Astrix Astronautics
Astronautics | Auckland | astrix.space

Astrix Astronautics design unique, reliable high performance power systems for small satellites using a state-of-the art inflatable deployment mechanism that delivers solar power to mega-constellations.

Basis NZ Limited
Cleantech | Auckland | wearebasis.com

Basis has developed the world’s first residential Smart Panel, enabling homeowners to reduce their electricity costs, make their homes dramatically safer and lower barriers to adopting electrification technologies (EV, battery & solar).

Emrod Limited
Hi-tech Engineering | Auckland | emrod.energy

Emrod is pioneering the transition to a wireless, global energy network. Its technology is hardware for wirelessly sending large amounts of power over long distances, safely and efficiently. Just as the internet transformed communication, wireless power will transform the world’s ability to generate and use energy.

Fabrum Solutions Limited
Hi-tech Engineering | Christchurch | fabrum.nz

The fundamental technologies that Fabrum has developed leverage over 20 years of composite and cryogenic discovery. The company has developed a very desirable library of patents and trade secrets, including cryocoolers, refuelling technologies, liquefiers and storage systems for hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and LNG. Fabrum operates around the globe with 80% of its product made in New Zealand and exported globally.

Toku Eyes Limited
Healthtech | Auckland | tokueyes.com

Toku has developed a product that can identify individuals with elevated chronic kidney disease risk (CKD) using retinal fundus images only. Commercialisation of this AI medical device will remove the need for blood and urine test to identify high-risk CKD individuals, enabling preventative care to avoid costly debilitating kidney failure.

Zincovery Process Technologies Limited
Cleantech | Christchurch | zincovery.com

Zincovery is looking to bring the first 100% recycled, low carbon and high purity zinc product to the market. This is enabled by their innovative zinc recycling technology that avoids the use of fossil fuels, reducing emissions by up to 95% and processing costs by 45%.

Zenno Astronautics Limited
Astronautics | Auckland | zenno.space

Zenno is building the future of agile and sustainable operations in space. They have developed a patented technology based on superconducting magnets that enables spacecraft operators to reduce their costs while also increasing their mission value.

For more information visit: arohia.govt.nz

About Callaghan Innovation

Callaghan Innovation is New Zealand’s innovation agency. It activates innovation and helps businesses grow faster for a better New Zealand. The government agency partners with ambitious businesses of all sizes, delivering a range of innovation and research and development (R&D) services to suit each stage of their growth. Its staff – including more than 150 of New Zealand’s leading scientists and engineers – empower innovators by connecting people, opportunities and networks, and providing tailored technical solutions, skills and capability development programmes, and grants co-funding. Callaghan Innovation also enhances the operation of New Zealand’s innovation ecosystem, working closely with MBIE, NZTE, NZVIF, Crown Research Institutes, and other organisations that help increase business investment in R&D and innovation. The agency operates from five urban offices and a regional partner network in a further 12 locations across Aotearoa.

MIL OSI New Zealand News –

September 29, 2024

MIL-OSI United Nations: Thirty-fourth Session of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies (WP.6)

Source: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Document Title	ENG	FRE	RUS
Item 1: Adoption of the agenda
Provisional agenda for the thirty-fourth session ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/1	PDF	PDF	PDF
Item 2: Matters arising
Report from the Bureau of Working Party 6 ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/INF.1	PDF
The Basics of Quality Infrastructure for Trade ECE/TRADE/478	PDF
Report of third annual forum: Quality infrastructure for trade and the digital and green transformation ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/3	PDF	PDF	PDF
Item 3: Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems
Report of activities under the Group of Experts on Risk Management in Regulatory Systems 2023–2024 ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/4	PDF	PDF	PDF
Survey on integrated risk management in single window systems: Best practices and challenges ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/5	PDF	PDF	PDF
Initial findings on the survey on integrated risk management in single window systems ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/INF.2	PDF
Item 4: Team of Specialists on Gender-Responsive Standards
Report of activities of the Team of Specialists on Gender-Responsive Standards 2023–2024 ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/6	PDF	PDF	PDF
Guide for standards-related gender action plans ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/7	PDF
Item 5: Advisory Group on Market Surveillance
Report of activities under the Advisory Group on Market Surveillance 2023–2024 ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/8	PDF	PDF	PDF
Revision of Recommendation M: Use of Market Surveillance Infrastructure as a Complementary Means to Protect Users against Counterfeit Goods ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/9	PDF	PDF	PDF
Recommendation K on Metrological Assurance of Conformity Assessment and Testing, Third Edition ECE/TRADE/482	PDF	PDF	PDF
Item 6: Ad Hoc Team of Specialists on Standardization and Regulatory Techniques
Report on activities under the Ad Hoc Team of Specialists on Standardization and Regulatory Techniques 2023–2024 ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/10	PDF	PDF	PDF
Overarching common regulatory arrangement for the regulatory compliance of products and/or services with embedded artificial intelligence or other digital technologies ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/11	PDF	PDF	PDF
Declaration for technical regulation of products with embedded artificial intelligence ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/12	PDF	PDF	PDF
Revision of Recommendation L on an International Model for Product/Service Conformity Based on Transnational Regulatory Cooperation ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/13	PDF	PDF	PDF
Report of the 5 April 2024 conference on harmonizing regulatory requirements on pipeline security for hydrogen ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/INF.3	PDF
Item 7: Programme of work
(a) Report on capacity building
(b) Programme of work for 2025
Programme of work of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies for 2025 ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/14	PDF	PDF	PDF
(c) Activities of other United Nations Economic Commission for Europe bodies and other international organizations of interest to WP.6
Item 8: Panel discussion: Quality infrastructure helping to prevent a green and digital divide – identifying challenges for capacity development for sustainable trade in developing economies
Item 9: Other business
Item 10: Adoption of the report
Report on the thirty-fourth session of the Working Party on Regulatory Cooperation and Standardization Policies ECE/CTCS/WP.6/2024/2	PDF

MIL OSI United Nations News –

September 29, 2024

MIL-OSI USA News: U.S.-UAE Joint Leaders’ Statement Dynamic Strategic Partners

Source: The White House

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and President Joseph R. Biden Jr. met today at the White House during an official visit of His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed to the United States. The visit is the first-ever by a President of the United Arab Emirates to Washington and marks the leaders’ fourth bilateral meeting in the Biden-Harris Administration. The leaders affirmed the enduring U.S.-UAE strategic and defense partnership, bolstered areas of deepening cooperation in advanced technology and investments, and discussed global and regional matters. The leaders pledged to pursue new opportunities to strengthen their economic and defense partnership; promote peace and stability across the Middle East and wider region; and deliver global leadership on issues of shared importance. The five decades of U.S.-UAE ties and friendship are rooted in a strong foundation of close collaboration that has underpinned our countries’ prosperity and security.

The leaders welcomed the significant progress between the United Arab Emirates and the United States during their tenure through cooperation in building trusted technology ecosystems, the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI), the U.S.-UAE Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE) initiative, and the Economic Policy Dialogue (EPD), all of which serve to uplift economic and trade ties between the two countries.

On particular issues of discussion:

Dynamic Strategic Partnership: Trade and Advanced Technology

Our countries’ strong foundation of partnership is reflected in our close alignment on key economic objectives and in the excellence of our private sectors that generate more than $40 billion of bilateral trade annually and an access of $26 billion of U.S. exports to the UAE. The Leaders charted an ambitious course for the United Arab Emirates and the United States to lead global efforts to develop and expand new fields central to the global economy, particularly in advanced technologies and the clean energy required to power Artificial Intelligence.

They welcomed the partnership between Microsoft and UAE’s Group 42 (G42) through Microsoft’s $1.5 billion investment in April 2024. This investment is accelerating joint AI development to bring advanced AI and digital infrastructure to countries in the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa.

The leaders further welcomed Microsoft and G42’s ongoing digital transformation in Kenya, which will leverage 1GW of geothermal energy to power data-centers to enable the deployment of cloud infrastructure and AI services for the public sector and regulated industries as well as enterprises. Further, the partnership will support the development of local Large Language Models and the establishment of an East African Innovation Lab. Additionally, the partnership hopes to encourage international and local connectivity investments, and collaboration with the government of Kenya to enable digital transformation programs across East Africa.

These initiatives mark the beginning of our partnership and investments in the responsible deployment of advanced technologies, clean energy, and frontier technologies that will be the engine that powers our interconnected world.

To meet the promise of this transformational moment and harness the potential of leading-edge technologies to improve human welfare globally, President Biden and His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed welcomed the Common Principles for Cooperation on AI, endorsed today by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and UAE National Security Advisor Tahnoon bin Zayed, and through which the United States and the United Arab Emirates aim to further strengthen cooperation, develop regulatory frameworks, promote the safe and trusted deployment of critical and emerging technologies, and enable enhanced support for joint private-public sector research and academic exchanges.

Building on our collaboration in the field of advanced technology, this partnership incorporates safeguards to protect the national security of both countries, enable trusted investments and entrepreneurship, and facilitate cross-border innovation, while creating jobs and facilitating the protection of advanced U.S. technologies and respect for international principles, best practices, and human rights. Moving forward, the leaders decided to promote the expansion of relationships among scientific, academic, and research and development communities.

Strengthening Critical Infrastructure and Supply Chain Resiliencies

The leaders reviewed progress on efforts to build a more interconnected, integrated world in committing to secure and resilient supply chains through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGI).

His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and President Biden discussed progress on the landmark India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) launched at the 2023 G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi together with the leaders of India, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Italy, and the European Union. The leaders reaffirmed that the corridor – connecting India to Europe by ship-to-rail connections through the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and Europe through Greece – will generate economic growth, incentivize new investments, increase efficiencies and reduce costs, enhance economic unity, generate jobs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and enable the transformative integration of Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

They underscored that this transformative partnership has the potential to usher in a new era of international connectivity to facilitate global trade, expand reliable access to electricity, facilitate clean energy distribution, and strengthen telecommunication. The two leaders emphasized the importance of joint initiatives to promote a circular economy, reduce waste, facilitate recycling, and advance sustainable practices, underscoring their commitment to innovation for resource efficiency and environmentally responsible growth.

The leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to continue their efforts with international partners and the private sector to connect the continents to commercial hubs and facilitate the development and export of clean energy; support existing trade and manufacturing synergies; strengthen food security and supply chains; and link energy grids and tele-communication lines through undersea cables to expand access to electricity, enable innovation of advanced clean energy technology, and connect communities to secure and stable internet.

The leaders additionally discussed the importance of ongoing efforts to cooperate on strategic investments in hard infrastructure and critical minerals-supply chains in Africa and emerging markets globally. These investments aim to diversify sourcing of critical minerals that are essential components to clean energy and advanced technologies, including batteries, wind turbines, semiconductors, and electric vehicles. President Biden recognized the United Arab Emirates’ leadership in strategic investments globally to ensure reliable access to critical infrastructure including, ports, mines, and logistics hubs through the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company, Abu Dhabi Ports, and DP World.

Both leaders committed to remain in close touch on future investment opportunities and maintain cooperation on strategic investments.

The leaders additionally highlighted that the U.S.–UAE 123 Agreement, which provides a comprehensive framework for peaceful nuclear cooperation based on a mutual commitment to nuclear nonproliferation, is the “gold standard” for securing and propelling the next generation of technologies.

Partnering to Protect our Planet Through the Clean Energy Transition

The leaders underscored the importance of U.S.-UAE leadership at COP28, which galvanized world leaders to take action and address the climate crisis. President Biden thanked His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed for his extraordinary commitment that was central to the groundbreaking outcomes at COP28 in Dubai resulting in the UAE Consensus.

The two leaders recognized that this moment represents a unique opportunity to create sustainable and clean energy jobs, revitalize communities, improve quality of life, and power digital infrastructure with renewable energy across both countries and around the globe. In this context, the two leaders affirmed their shared commitment to protecting our precious planet and securing a sustainable future for humanity through united leadership across various platforms, including the upcoming COP29 and beyond, which will serve to advance climate action and strengthen global partnerships.

The two leaders expressed their determination to leverage visionary initiatives, including the Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy (PACE), the Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate (AIM4C), the First Movers Coalition, the Net Zero Producers Forum, the Global Methane Pledge, Carbon Management Challenge, the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter (OGDC), the Industrial Transition Accelerator (ITA), the Global Biofuels Alliance, and Global Flaring and Methane Reduction (GFMR) Trust Fund; and encourage commercial partnerships to decarbonize our energy systems, reduce emissions in pursuit of a net zero economy, and deliver prosperity to future generations.

President Biden and His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed reaffirmed their strong commitment to collaborate on sustainability and climate resilience, emphasizing their commitment to addressing global challenges through innovative solutions. The two leaders underscored their joint efforts in advancing agri-tech and vertical farming innovations, key drivers in enhancing food security for future generations. They highlighted ongoing cooperation in humanitarian initiatives aimed at addressing food insecurity in vulnerable regions, particularly through agricultural development and capacity building in climate affected areas. Recognizing the impact of climate change on public health, the leaders emphasized the need to integrate health resilience into comprehensive climate action strategies.

President Biden also congratulated the United Arab Emirates on its many successes in its two Years of Sustainability (2023-2024), including the recent announcement on co-hosting the next UN Water Conference in 2026 with Senegal, noting the critical importance of accessible and affordable clean water to all; and its significance within various sectors in the clean energy transition, addressing climate change, and the sustainable development agenda.

Partnership to Accelerate Clean Energy (PACE)

Under the U.S.-UAE Partnership to Accelerate Clean Energy (PACE) initiative, the United States and the UAE are announcing several initiatives that will continue our efforts to ensure a swift and smooth transition towards clean energy. The United States and United Arab Emirates remain committed to investing together in Africa and working to end energy poverty across sub-Saharan Africa. Today, the UAE-based Averi Finance and AMEA Power are both private sector partners under the U.S.-led Power Africa Initiative, joining an existing partnership with UAE-based company Phanes. As private sector partners, these firms will be offered tailored assistance from transaction advisors and technical experts and can benefit from services offered by participating U.S. government departments and agencies.

To support the Power Africa initiative, Averi Finance intends to facilitate $5 billion in investments, build 3GW of power generation projects, construct over 3,000 kilometers of transmission or distribution lines, establish over 500,000 new home and business connections, and aim for a CO2 equivalent reduction or avoidance of 90 million tons. AMEA Power and Power Africa have recently entered into a partnership to accelerate power projects. AMEA Power is targeting 5GW of renewable energy capacity in Africa by 2030, and to realize this target, intends to mobilize $5 billion in capital.

Additionally, under PACE, ADNOC has announced a 35 percent stake in ExxonMobil’s proposed low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia production facility in Baytown, Texas. This facility aims to produce up to approximately 900,000 tons of low-carbon ammonia per year, enabling the transition to cleaner fuels in hard-to-abate sectors. Plynth Energy – a recently established Abu Dhabi government-owned early-stage fund focused on fusion technologies and supply chains – invested in the U.S. company Zap Energy, which plans to build scalable and commercially-viable fusion energy. This investment will help fund the further development of Zap Energy’s small-format commercial fusion technology. Zap Energy is a participant in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program, and will receive DOE funding based on reaching development milestones to support the design of a fusion pilot plant.

Lastly, as two of over 155 participants in the Global Methane Pledge, the U.S. and the UAE will accelerate their respective domestic methane reductions, work together to support countries undertaking methane abatement, and call on others to do the same by advancing methane reduction projects, strengthening methane standards and regulations, addressing methane super emitter events, and identifying appropriate financing for methane reduction.

Partners in Space Exploration

As founding nation members of the Artemis Accords, His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and President Biden reinforced the U.S. and UAE’s groundbreaking cooperation in space, the future of human exploration, and our shared interest in deepening our understanding of the universe.

The leaders recalled the role of this partnership in the historic launch of the first Arab probe to Mars, the Hope Probe in 2021, and the resulting and ongoing global scientific collaboration and contribution to the study of Mars’ atmosphere. This strategic partnership in deep space missions is further exemplified by the UAE Space Agency’s announcement of the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt, the first multi-asteroid tour and landing mission to the main belt, with the partner, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder.

The leaders highlighted the January 2024 Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center agreement with NASA for the Center to provide an airlock for Gateway, humanity’s first space station to orbit the Moon supported by NASA’s missions for long-term Moon exploration under the Artemis Program. The airlock will allow crew and equipment transfers to-and-from the habitable environment of Gateway’s pressurized modules to the vacuum of space. This agreement will also enable the first Emirati astronaut to fly to the Gateway for joint exploration of the Moon.

This cooperation builds on NASA and the UAE’s previous human spaceflight collaboration. In 2019, Hazaa Al Mansouri became the first Emirati astronaut to fly to space during a visit to the International Space Station (ISS), where he worked with NASA to perform experiments and educational outreach. A second Emirati astronaut, Sultan Al Neyadi, launched to the ISS in 2023, where he participated in the floating laboratory’s scientific research to advance human knowledge and improve life on Earth. The leaders welcomed continued training of astronauts, including two Emirati astronaut candidates in training at the Johnson Space Center, as well as ongoing work on Mars research and scientific studies to support mutual exploration goals.

Sharing the common spirit and ambition of humanity’s journey in space, the leaders reaffirmed the principles of the Artemis Accords to explore and use outer space for peaceful purposes and usher in a new era of exploration, as well as obligations under the Outer Space Treaty, including the requirement that countries not place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kind of weapons of mass destruction.

Partners in Security and Defense

His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed and President Biden praised the strong security and defense partnership with the UAE. President Biden strongly affirmed the United States’ commitment to the United Arab Emirates’ security and territorial defense, and to facilitating its ability to obtain necessary capabilities to defend its people and territory against external threats. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a strong bilateral security and defense relationship and to expanding defense and security cooperation to bolster joint defense capabilities against external threats, including through the Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program.

The leaders affirmed a shared vision of an interconnected, peaceful, tolerant, and prosperous region as outlined by President Biden during the GCC+3 Summit Meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on July 16, 2022. They reviewed the proud legacy of standing shoulder-to-shoulder, in peace and in conflict, including the UAE’s support for American-led counterterrorism missions since the attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington on September 11, 2001, to deter threats, de-escalate conflicts, and reduce tensions globally. Specifically, the leaders recalled the United States and the United Arab Emirates standing alongside each other in the global coalition against Da’esh, and prior conflicts: Somalia, the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya.

The leaders reviewed ongoing initiatives and investments in advanced systems that have made the United Arab Emirates one of the most capable U.S. military partners in the region, in addition to a robust schedule of bilateral and multilateral exercises. They underscored the importance of strengthening efforts to combat regional threats, advance counterterrorism initiatives, reinforce maritime security and counter-piracy efforts, increase security cooperation, and intercept illicit shipments of weaponry and technology.

The leaders discussed deepening investment in U.S. defense systems and acknowledged that military-to-military cooperation with the United Arab Emirates’ armed services helps ensure interoperability with the United States through the provision of advanced defense articles and services. They further decided to explore potential investment in our most advanced defense systems and to maintain regular exchanges to deepen partnership in research and development.

The leaders reaffirmed the 2017 Defense Cooperation Agreement, an important step for both countries that underscored their vital and longstanding collaboration in defeating terrorist groups, such as Da’esh and al-Qaida, securing regional stability, and combatting threats against their common interests including terrorist financing. They underscored the importance of the annual Joint Military Dialogue as the foremost bilateral defense forum for advancing the U.S.-UAE defense partnership, including reviewing shared security interests, as well as discussing strategic objectives for the relationship and challenges in the region, such as maritime security, counter-piracy, counterterrorism cooperation, and domain awareness in the Middle East, the Indian Ocean, and East Africa. They further noted the recognition by the Security Council in Resolution 2686 that hate speech, racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, related forms of intolerance, gender discrimination and acts of extremism can contribute to driving the outbreak, escalation and recurrence of conflict.

Designation as a Major Defense Partner of the United States

Acknowledging the U.S. and UAE’s deepening security partnership and cooperation in advanced technology and acquisition, shared interest in preventing conflict and de-escalation, President Biden today recognized the United Arab Emirates as a Major Defense Partner of the United States, joined by only India, to further enhance defense cooperation and security in the Middle East, East Africa, and the Indian Ocean regions. This unique designation as a Major Defense Partner will allow for unprecedented cooperation through joint training, exercises, and military-to-military collaboration, between the military forces of the United States, the UAE, and India, as well as other common military partners, in furtherance of regional stability.

Both leaders committed to close and sustained cooperation among our militaries.

Partners in a Stable, Integrated, and Prosperous Middle East and Wider Region

The leaders stressed the importance of reaching a peaceful solution to the dispute over the three islands, Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa, through bilateral negotiations or the International Court of Justice, in accordance with the rules of international law including the UN Charter.

The leaders discussed persisting and emerging threats to peace and stability in the Middle East and the wider region. They renewed their commitment to upholding international law, particularly international humanitarian law, work with parties to resolve conflicts and protect civilians, and to provide urgently needed aid to alleviate human suffering. They reiterated the importance of sustainable and enduring solutions to the security threats in the region, including those posed by non-state terrorist actors. They discussed the enduring importance of the Abraham Accords and continuing on the path of peace, integration, and prosperity in the region.

The leaders discussed the war in Gaza. They underscored their commitment to continue working together towards ending the conflict, calling for a lasting and sustainable ceasefire and the release of hostages and detainees in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2735, and affirmed that all sides to the conflict must adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law. President Biden commended the UAE’s extraordinary humanitarian efforts in Gaza, which have been critical in addressing the humanitarian crisis, including through the launch of a maritime corridor for movement of aid, opening a field hospital in Gaza, and supporting evacuations of wounded civilians and cancer patients.

The two leaders emphasized the ongoing need for the urgent, unhindered, and sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance, at a scale commensurate with the growing needs among the civilian population throughout Gaza. They called on all parties to ensure the safety, security, and sustained access of aid workers to all those in need, and to create the conditions needed to facilitate an effective humanitarian response in Gaza.

His Highness President Sheikh Mohamed commended the mediation efforts by the United States, along with Egypt and Qatar, to reach a lasting and sustainable ceasefire and hostage release deal to help end the war in Gaza. His Highness also echoed the principles laid out by President Biden on May 31, 2024, and stressed the importance of building on this proposal in order to create a serious political horizon for negotiation. To that end, the leaders discussed a path to stabilization and recovery that responds to the humanitarian crisis, establishes law and order, and lays the groundwork for responsible governance. The leaders expressed their commitment to the two-State solution, wherein a sovereign and contiguous Palestinian state lives side-by-side in peace and security with Israel, as the only way to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in accordance with the internationally-recognized parameters and the Arab Peace Initiative. They stressed the need to refrain from all unilateral measures that undermine the two-State solution, and to preserve the historic status quo of Jerusalem’s holy sites, recognizing the special role of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in this regard.

On the conflict in Sudan, the leaders expressed their deep concern over the tragic impact the violence has had on the Sudanese people and on neighboring countries. Both leaders expressed alarm at the millions of individuals who have been displaced by the war, the hundreds of thousands experiencing famine, and the atrocities committed by the belligerents against the civilian population. They stressed that there can be no military solution to the conflict in Sudan and underscored their firm and unwavering position on the imperative for concrete and immediate action to achieve a lasting cessation of hostilities, the return to the political process, and transition to civilian-led governance.

Both leaders reaffirmed their shared commitment to de-escalate the conflict, alleviate the suffering of the people of Sudan, ensure humanitarian assistance reaches the Sudanese people, and prevent Sudan from attracting transnational terrorist networks once again. Noting their shared concern about the risk of imminent atrocities, particularly as fighting continues in Darfur, they underscored that all parties to the conflict must comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law, and all individuals and groups that commit war crimes must be held accountable. The leaders emphasized that the priority right now must be the protection of civilians, particularly women, children and the elderly, securing humanitarian pauses in order to scale up and facilitate the movement of humanitarian assistance into the country and across conflict lines, and ensuring the delivery of aid to those in need, especially to the most vulnerable.

Partners in Cyberspace

The leaders emphasized that safety and stability in cyberspace is critical for digital economic growth and development, and reaffirmed their commitment to an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable internet, underpinned by the multistakeholder model of internet governance.

They committed to deepen cooperation on cybersecurity and to enhance cyber collaboration to protect critical infrastructure, counter malicious cyber activity by state and non-state actors, and noted that the UAE’s significant contributions to the International Counter Ransomware Initiative reflects the strength of our cooperation. The leaders committed to promote stability in cyberspace based on the applicability of international law including the United Nations Charter, the promotion of voluntary norms of responsible state behavior during peacetime, and the development and implementation of confidence building measures between states.

Looking Forward

The United States and the United Arab Emirates are both entrepreneurial nations, joined together by a relentless focus on the future. Our aspirations are rooted in a common resolve to pursue innovative partnerships in new fields, including AI, food security, infrastructure investment, and supply chain resilience, even as we continue to strengthen the foundational element of our partnership: our longstanding people-to-people ties. These connections between our countries drive progress and expand horizons, from clean energy technologies, to AI, defense cooperation, space exploration, and ongoing coordination across priority areas of science, education, and culture. This first-ever official visit by a President of the United Arab Emirates to the United States sets a new foundation for our countries’ cooperation for decades to come

###

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024
MIL-OSI USA: White House Press Call by Senior Adviser to the President and Director of Communications Ben LaBolt, National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi, and Senior Adviser to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta Previewing Climate Week Speech

US Senate News:

Source: The White House
Via Teleconference
9:47 A.M. EDT
MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ: Hi. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining today’s press call to preview President Biden’s speech at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum tomorrow and on the pre- — and on the Biden-Harris administration’s historic efforts to combat climate change.
As a reminder, this call will be on the record and embargoed until today at 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
The call will begin with on-the-record remarks from Senior Adviser to the President and White House Director of Communications Ben LaBolt, White House National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi, and Senior Adviser to the President for International Climate Policy John Podesta.
Afterwards, we will have an — a question-and-answer period.
With that, I will turn it over to Ben.
MR. LABOLT: Thanks, Angelo, and good morning, everybody.
President Biden is fresh off his Quad Summit, where he showcased his continued leadership on the world stage by bringing our allies together to cooperate on — on major cross-border issues. He just delivered a major speech last Thursday on the economic progress we’ve seen under — under this administration. And later today, he’s heading to New York to the U.N. General Assembly.
He’s got a busy schedule in New York, and you’ll see him lay out his vision for continued U.S. leadership on the world stage, including renewed cooperation to address shared global challenges such as confronting the climate crisis.
And as the president continues to sprint to the finish line, tomorrow, as part of Climate Week, he’ll deliver remarks highlighting his and Vice President Harris’ leadership to tackle the climate crisis.
His speech tomorrow at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum will showcase just how transformational this administration has been in helping to meet all of our climate, conservation, and clean energy goals — from reducing emissions and moving in the long term to a net-zero economy, to mobilizing private-sector investments in domestic manufacturing, to protecting our lands and waters, and so much more.
And of course, through each of those important goals, also making significant in pro- — progress along the way to lower families’ energy costs; create good-paying union job; and ultimately leave for our children and grandchildren a stronger, healthier planet.
Ali and John will share a bit more about the president’s domestic and international climate legacy in just a moment, but I want to take a moment to highlight how important the stakes are and why the president’s efforts have been essential in making sure we stay on track for our climate goals.
If, as the science demands, we are going to meet the president’s goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by no later than 2050 and of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, then we’ve got to keep the pedal to the metal on our climate efforts. We cannot afford to delay or to go back.
We’re seeing the impacts the climate crisis is having on our communities every day. Yet as cities are flooding or on fire or under extreme heat watches or trapped in a cloud of smog, many congressional Republicans continue to deny the very existence of climate change.
And it’s not just talk. Congressional Republicans are taking action right now that would roll back investments in climate, clean energy, and public health.
In this session alone, congressional Republicans’ efforts to gut climate protections are being pushed through a variety of avenues, including appropriations bills, Congressional Review Act resolutions, and other legislative actions, which would have a devastating impact on families, the economy, and the environment.
From undermining clean vehicle tax credits to attacking cost-saving efficiency standards, they continue to side with special interests to keep consumer energy prices high.
During this session, congressional Republicans have advanced legislation to repeal new programs from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda that are helping families save hundreds of dollars each year on energy costs, including attacking new rebate programs for energy-efficient home upgrades and programs that support residential solar projects in low-income communities.
After the president’s historic work to enhance public health protections and strengthen pollution standards, congressional Republicans are working to weaken those protections, which would harm their constituents’ lives and livelihoods.
They’ve introduced resolutions that would roll back the administration’s rules that protect communities from coal plants’ water pollution, air pollution, and waste disposal. They’re working to overturn lifesaving rules under the Clean Air Act that reduce pollution from power plants, cars, trucks, and indus- — and industrial sources. And they’re failing to protect the health of mine workers, including by trying to block new rules that protect coal and other miners from toxic exposures.
With more than 42 million acres already conserved, President Biden is on track to conserve more lands and waters than any modern president has in four years. But congressional Republicans are attempting to roll back protections for our nation’s outdoor treasures and open up our lands and waters to increased irresponsible development.
They’re trying to eliminate presidential authority to establish national monuments altogether. They’re also trying to dismantle President Biden’s America the Beautiful initiative, which is supporting locally led conservation efforts across the country, and to overturn the administration’s Public Lands Rule that will help conserve wildlife habitat, restore places impacted by wildfire and drought, expand outdoor recreation, and guide thoughtful and balanced development.
They’re supporting legislation and other appropriations vehicles that would undo protections for 13 million acres of special areas in the Western Arctic and dismantle efforts to protect the U.S. Arctic Ocean and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from new oil and gas leasing.
The Biden-Harris administration successfully finalized the first updates in decades to hold oil and gas companies accountable and ensure they provide fair returns to taxpayers, but congressional Republicans are seeking to overturn these overdue reforms.
And just to put a finer point on it: Since President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, congressional Republicans have voted more than 50 times to repeal all or parts of the largest and most impactful climate legislation in history.
Yet even though most Republicans are in lock- — lockstep in this approach, some are starting to change their tune. Last month, 18 House Republicans sent a letter to Speaker Johnson asking him not to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act.
Perhaps it’s because President’s Biden’s policies are leading to more than 330,000 new clean energy jobs already created, more than half of which are in Republican-held districts.
It also might be because they’re starting to realize that jacking up families’ energy prices, weakening pollution protections, and slowing our clean energy transition are unpopular back home.
Whatever the reason, it’s obvious that the contrast between President Biden and Kamala Harris’ policies with those of congressional Republicans couldn’t be clearer.
This coming Climate Week and for every week thereafter, this president and his team will continue to work on behalf of the American people to protect our planet, lower energy costs, create good-paying jobs, and do what’s needed to ensure that our grandchildren can experience a planet with clean air and drinkable water.
And with that, I’ll turn it over to the president’s national climate adviser, Ali Zaidi.
MR. ZAIDI: Thanks so much to everybody for joining.
We are five years into what the UNFCCC declared as the “decisive decade for climate action.” Tomorrow, President Biden will deliver the decisive decade halftime report. And what he will show is how the United States has changed the playbook fundamentally — not focused on the doom and gloom, focused instead on the massive economic opportunity, a chance to build U.S. manufacturing and infrastructure, and a chance to build the American middle class.
The president will talk about what we’re seeing on the scoreboard. Since the start of the administration, 100 gigawatts of clean energy built in the United States — 25 million homes’ worth of power. You see off our coast an offshore industry, where before there was none.
In rural America, the largest investment in clean energy electrification since FDR — one in five rural Americans seeing the benefits of that clean energy.
A nuclear industry revitalized — plants that were slated to be shut down put back into use; plants retired coming back to meet surging demand.
In transportation, electric vehicles now quadrupled in sales, chargers doubled on our roads and highways, the postal service going fully electric, and all of that being made in America — batteries being made in America; anodes, cathodes, the very critical minerals necessary for tackling climate change being sourced here in the United States of America.
And, of course, we’re seeing this translate into benefits for consumers. The standards the president has finalized or more efficient appliances saving a trillion dollars for consumers over the next several decades.
And just last year, millions of Americans taking advantage of the Biden-Harris clean energy tax credits to retrofit their homes, put in upgrades that will save them money, lower utility bills and costs.
He’s done all of this while protecting the environment. As Ben noted, 42 million acres conserved by tackling the scrooge [scourge] of environmental injustice, meeting pollution where it is in fence-line communities, and delivering solutions that take effect right away.
He’s made sure that we are leaning into the manufacturing opportunity in all of this. He’s going to talk about how we invented a lot of these technologies, but over the last several years, we’ve now started to actually make these technologies — $900 billion in manufacturing.
So, you see because of these historic efforts under President Biden, Vice President Harris, capital coming off the sidelines, jobs coming back, and America leading on climate. And, you know, core to that — core to that is the president delivering on his fundamental conviction.
When he was running for office, the president often said, “When I see climate, I see jobs.” Since the beginning of his administration, he’s made that a focal point in climate. It’s what’s helped us put all these points on the board. Even today, governors will come together to announce a goal to train another million folks into registered apprenticeships that deliver on the climate workforce that we need to build this clean energy future.
Tomorrow is an opportunity to deliver that decisive decade halftime report to show the progress we’ve made, the points we put on the board, and the path ahead. And President Biden will do that eloquently and in a way, I think, that will hopefully activate and animate accelerated action not just here but around the world.
And for that, let me hand it over to my partner in all of this, the president’s international climate adviser, John Podesta.
MR. PODESTA: Thanks, Ali. And — and thanks to everyone for joining at the beginning of this action-packed Climate Week. And if you’re actually in New York, the traffic-packed Climate Week.
Over the past four years, President Biden and Vice President Harris have pursued the most ambitious and successful climate agenda in history, both domestically and internationally.
We know that the climate crisis is a global problem and that no one country alone can solve it but that U.S. leadership on this issue is critical for bringing the world together.
That’s why President Biden rejoined the Paris Agreement on day — day one. It’s why he set a bold goal to cut U.S. emissions by 50 to 52 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 and backed that goal up with action through the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest investment in climate and clean energy in the world, as Ali just went through. And it’s why he convened three leaders summits on climate, ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Mo- — Montreal Protocol to phase down super-polluting hydrofluorocarbons.
Over the past four years, this resurgence of U.S. leadership on global climate action has yielded real results.
We’ve raised ambition from countries and companies around the world through the Global Methane Pledge to reduce global methane emissions 30 percent by 2030, with now 158 countries and the EU signing on.
At COP28 in Dubai in December 2023, the United States successfully galvanized the world to commit, for the first time, to transition away from unabated fossil fuels; to stop building new unabated coal capacity globally; to triple renewable energy globally by 2030, to double the level of efficiency by 2030, and to triple nuclear energy by 2050.
We’ve remained focused on climate finance, which is the biggest topic of discussion at this year’s COP29 in Azerbaijan.
President Biden pledged to work with Congress to quadruple U.S. international public climate finance to over $11 billion per year by 2024. And we’re on track to deliver on that commitment. That includes over $3 billion per year for adaptation under the president’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience, or the so-called PREPARE program, which will help a half a billion people worldwide adapt to and manage climate impacts, including sea level rise, storms, droughts, and food insecurity.
The next few months are crucial for our international climate agenda — from COP16 on biodiversity in Cali to the G20 in Rio to COP29 in Baku, and, of course, this week in New York.
This week and throughout this fall, we’ll continue to work with our allies and partners around the world to raise ambitions; unlock additional climate finance from the private sector, multilateral development banks, and public sources; accelerate the deployment of clean energy by driving innovation and lowering costs; reversing and finally ending deforestation; and help more vulnerable countries and communities adapt to a changing climate.
Here’s the bottom line: Thanks to President Biden and Vice President Harris, we’re on the right path here in the U.S. and around the world. We have to accelerate our progress toward our collective climate goals, and I think the president will be calling on other leaders of the world, as he did over the weekend in the new announcements on clean cooling and the clean energy industrial fellowship we entered into with India, to get that job done.
Thank you. And I’ll turn it back over to Angelo.
MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ: Thanks, John. And we will move to the question-and-answer portion. Please use the “raise hand” function on Zoom, and we will call on you. As you are called on, please identify yourself and your outlet.
Okay, we will begin with Lisa. You should be unmuted now.
Q    Hi, everyone. Thank you so much for doing this this morning.
John, you mentioned that the president will be calling on — on other leaders. You know, this is a very international audience this week. Already, countries have seen the United States leave and join and leave and join global efforts to fight climate change. What will the president’s message be to world leaders who are worried about what a Trump administration would bring on climate and maybe don’t know whether the U.S. can be trusted to be a long-term partner?
I guess, related, do you expect President Biden to — to speak directly about former President Trump?
MR. PODESTA: Lisa, you know, in my current role, I can’t talk about politics. (Laughs.) But I think it’s clear that the track record from the previous administration vers- — which pulled out of Paris, abandoned the — the partnership that we had around the globe, reversed a number of actions that President Obama had taken on climate change versus the record that we just laid out is clearly of concern and interest to people around the world.
All I can tell you is the president has demonstrated that you can produce strong economic growth, create good-paying jobs, reach all areas of the country in this — in this task of decarbonizing our economy.
And that’s the message I think he’s sending to global re- — leaders: This is doable. We can invest in the — these new technologies. We can put people to work doing the work that needs to be done, and it’s going to be good for your publics.
So, I think that in — in his speech to — to UNGA, he will, I think, reflect on that record, and I’m sure the — the alternatives will be implicit.
MR. ZAIDI: Look, what I’d add to that — this is Ali — is you’ve seen the politics of climate inaction deteriorate in Congress. House Republicans have put up nearly 50 votes to roll back President Biden and Vice President Harris’ historic climate efforts. They failed. They failed even within their own caucus: Now a dozen and a half members calling on their own leadership to wrap up these efforts, to go in a U-turn direction, because they see the economic case for climate action.
Part of the reason the president has been successful — and as he speaks to this tomorrow, he will point out — is this new formula on climate action, which is focused on driving investment in U.S. manufacturing and U.S. infrastructure, and that has resulted in unprecedented and successful job creation all across the country in blue districts and in red.
So, the politics of inaction are deteriorating. The case for a U-turn is weak and fragile and falling apart. But the haste to go bold and accelerate climate action, we’re seeing the results from that; that’s strengthening.
And, you know, Lisa, you mentioned, there are a lot of leaders from around the world here in New York. There are also a lot of leaders from industry and big investors here in New York, and they’re paying attention to one thing and one thing only, and that is: In the United States, the case for investing in clean energy has never been stronger. The economics for climate action are irresistible here in the United States. And that’s going to cascade around the world as we accelerate progress in this decisive decade.
MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ: Thanks, Ali. We will go to Kemi next. You should be unmuted now.
Q    Hello. Can you guys hear me? Hello?
MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ: Yes.
Q    Okay. Thank you. Sorry. En route to New York.
I wanted to ask if you can talk about the multilateral (inaudible) boosting climate financing for developing countries as well as how the U.S., the administration will work with China, the number one polluters in the world. As — and your initiative also working with African nations.
Thank you.
MR. PODESTA: Well, thanks — thanks for the question. I — at the bilateral level, I laid out a — at the front end of my remarks, the president’s commitment to increasing climate finance across the board and reach communities across the globe.
We’ve succeeded in — in meeting the targets that the president did at — in his UNGA speech in 2021. I want to underscore that. That’s where he said we will quadruple our climate finance from the historically high level that President Obama produced. It was actually substantially more than that if you compare it to the last years under President Trump. And we’re on track to do that.
Where I’m engaged in events here to try to track additional private-sector investment into the adaptation space, noting — I noted the PREPARE program that the president has put forward, which is going to provide a — help and service to half a billion people across the globe.
We’re engaged, I think, with the — the i- — the discussion right now to increase the national cumulative qualified goal that’s, as I noted, part of what’s most important on the agenda in Baku. Those conversations are continuing, but we’ve seen a substantial increase in climate finance coming through the multilateral development banks and other sources.
It’s going to take the effort of all of us to go from the billions of dollars of — hundreds of billions of dollars of public support that we’ve seen to, really, the trillion dollars of need that are necessary to build sustainable energy systems across the globe.
And so, I think, again, in his conversations with — with global leaders, he hosted President Ruto of Kenya earlier this year, created a commitment to a bilateral partnership with the government of Kenya to build out supply chains there. We’re working with India and Tanzania to do the same thing across new supply chains in Africa.
So, I think the president is r- — is quite focused on this and will get a chance to speak to it both in the meetings that he’s holding on the side as well as in his main UNGA speech.
Q    Okay. If I can just quickly follow up on that. A lot of these developing countries are looking into carbon market. What is your response? What is your view regarding that?
MR. PODESTA: You know, earlier this summer, we issued a joint statement from the U.S. government on our views on the fact that those high-integrity carbon markets are a potentially strong source of finance for countries both to decarbonize the power sector. Secretary Kerry did a tremendous work on creating a new instrument, if you will, in that space as well as in — in agriculture and forestry.
But as we noted in that statement, there’s — there needs to be high integrity both on behalf of the sellers of carbon credits as well as on behalf of buyers in order to make these — these markets work and — and see those — that ability for carbon finance to flow through that channel. Without that, I think the market and — and I think we saw this in the last couple of years — it begins to lose faith that those — that the emissions reductions are real. In which case, I think people back off from making the commitments.
So, I think it’s really critical to make sure that these markets are — have strong integrity, and we laid out the principles to make that happen.
MR. ZAIDI: I just want to add a little bit on how domestic action is, I think, enabling more ambition around the world.
First, there has been analysis, including from the Boston Consulting Group, on the impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act in terms of technology cost reduction that actually improve the odds of scale-up around the world — everything from battery technology to clean hydrogen production through electrolyzers.
That technology is being de-risked as a result of the generational investment that President Biden has marshaled to take on the climate crisis here in the United States.
That’s going to have very significant implications around the world. One modeling projection done by the Rhodium Group shows that for every ton reduced here, we will see two or three reduced around the world, again, as the result of that technology de-risking.
The second is the platform de-risking. John talked about the voluntary carbon markets and the principles we laid out earlier this summer to help high-integrity scale-up of that platform.
The investment the United States is making, for example, through the Department of Agriculture in measurement, monitoring, and verification regimes, or through the EPA and the Department of Energy in the utilization of satellite data to track methane leaks from industrial sources — those investments in satellite, in harnessing machine learning and artificial intelligence to take on climate change — those platform investments will de-risk those platforms for the rest of the world and I think help bring additional resources to the Global South.
And then there’s the role of the capital markets more broadly. In the United States, we are building muscle memory around new asset classes, and that’s going to accrue benefits to capital formation and project development all around the world.
So, look, there is the — there is the effort, I think, underway by G20 countries. The*28:59 — when the president was out at the last G20, he said, “I passed an Inflation Reduction Act. You should copycat that.” So, there are a lot of countries that are downloading the U.S. playlist on how to jam out on climate.
But there’s a second piece of it, which is the actions we’re taking here in the United States are de-risking technologies, they’re de-risking platforms, and they’re building the muscle memory to accelerate capital formation project development around the world.
Obviously, that all complements the very important development finance and multilateral work — work John talked about, but I do think this work domestically is going to echo around the world.
MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ: Thanks, Ali.
And our final question will come from Robin. You should be unmuted now.
Q    Hi. Can you hear me?
MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ: Yes.
Q    Thanks so much for taking my call. I wondered if you could tell us — I know the president told his Cabinet to “sprint to the finish.” I wonder if you can tell us what that’s going to mean on climate, if there’s anything else we can expect — big announcements on climate before the end of the term, and also how he’s thinking about climate when he’s approaching his legacy?
MR. ZAIDI: Robin, I think the president is thinking about climate the same way he has been from day one. When he thinks climate, he thinks jobs. And I know that sounds simple, but I think that’s been the driver of the political economy and the investment case around the country, and that continues to be the case.
You know, you’ll — you’ll see from the administration what you’ve seen from day one: a concerted focus on a sector-by-sector basis, each part of the economy.
In terms of developing new standards and rules that provide certainty to business and improve the investment climate around clean energy technologies, you will continue to see robust implementation from our agencies on the infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act. On the broader investment agenda, making sure that those investments are turning in to impacts on the ground.
And you’ll see us do the important work of blocking and tackling to make sure our projects are getting built. Permitting, citing execution has been a focal point for the Biden-Harris administration from day one.
You know, this Cabinet meeting, the president talked about sprinting through the finish line, making sure that we’re building an irreversible momentum behind climate action. But I remember the last Cabinet meeting when he reminded the Cabinet that these laws, these standards, these investments were only as good as the impact they were making on the ground. So, he continues to be relentlessly focused on implementation, on execution, on getting things built.
And that goes to the point I made at the top. This is no longer a theoretical playbook. You could see it as points on the scoreboard today: A hundred gigawatts of clean energy built in the United States under the Biden-Harris administration. That’s going to be our focus. That’s where we continue to spend our time.
MR. FERNÁNDEZ HERNÁNDEZ: Thanks, Ali.
And that is all the time we have today. Thank you, again, to our speakers and to all of you for joining.
As a reminder, this call and the materials you all received over email or will receive over email will be embargoed until 1:00 P.M. Eastern today.
Thanks again for joining us.
10:20 A.M. EDT

MIL OSI USA News –

September 29, 2024

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