The Philippines and the United States have officially launched the inaugural US-Philippines Energy Policy Dialogue (EPD) to deepen the two countries' energy ties and clean energy transition.

In a statement, the US State Department said its Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Energy Resources Laura Lochman, and the US Department of Energy’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia and the Americas Beth Urbanas co-led the US delegation.

Philippine Energy Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Felix William Fuentebella led the Philippine delegation.

According to the US State Department, the delegations from both countries emphasized the centrality of energy security, decarbonization, and collaboration among nations with shared values to sustained economic development amid the region’s rapid economic growth and rising energy demands.

"The discussion reinforced the role of energy cooperation in strengthening the US-Philippines partnership and focused on accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, modernizing and expanding transmission, and reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels," it said.

Both delegations reviewed the progress of current energy projects in the Philippines and established priorities for future cooperation and technical support.  

The US State Department said that both countries reaffirmed the importance of nuclear energy as a key contributor to energy security.

"[They] highlighted ongoing cooperation on small modular reactor capacity building, and discussed the next steps to deepening cooperation and moving forward to deployment under the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation," it said.

Following the inaugural EPD, the US Department of Energy leadership, including Deputy Secretary David Turk and Urbanas, will visit the Philippines to continue engagement and partnership on shared energy transition priorities.

Both countries agreed on the EPD during Vice President Kamala Harris' visit to the Philippines in November 2022.