|

Executive Director Meets with Senior Government Leaders in US and Canada

February 6, 2023

executive director
IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol was in Washington and Ottawa this week for series of high-level discussions with a range of US and Canadian government leaders on major energy and climate issues

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol was in Washington and Ottawa this week for series of high-level discussions with a range of US and Canadian government leaders on major energy and climate issues.

In Washington, Dr Birol met with senior figures including US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen and Deputy Secretary of Energy Dave Turk. Their meetings covered key issues such as how the clean energy transition can be a major driver of jobs and economic activity – as well as the urgency of mobilising more financing for clean energy transitions in emerging and developing economies. 

Discussions with Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan explored the role the United States can play in easing the global energy crisis while ensuring long-term energy security and progress on clean energy transitions around the world. In a meeting with Brian Deese, Director of the National Economic Council, and John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation, Dr Birol discussed the economic and climate implications of the Inflation Reduction Act both in the United States and beyond.

Dr Birol also met bilaterally with Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a senior member and former chairman of the committee. Among the topics covered was the renewed determination in the United States to strengthen clean energy supply chains through the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act. The IEA’s recent report, Energy Technology Perspectives, examines the opportunities and challenges of scaling up global manufacturing and supply chains for clean energy technologies in a secure, sustainable and resilient way.

In Ottawa on Wednesday, Dr Birol addressed government ministers at Canada’s Privy Council, providing them with an overview of global energy markets and highlighting the role that Canada can play in energy security. This was followed by a fireside chat at the University of Ottawa with Canadian Minister for Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson in front of a large audience including industry leaders, ambassadors and students. Dr Birol then met Minister for Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault to discuss the role of Canada in accelerating progress towards net zero emissions globally.

The engagements in Washington and Ottawa followed Executive Director Birol’s bilateral meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General in New York on Friday.

Related Story

Energy Technology Perspectives 2023

Energy Technology Perspectives 2023 highlights major market and employment opportunities, as well as the emerging risks, for countries racing to lead the clean energy industries of today and tomorrow.

The energy world is at the dawn of a new industrial age – the age of clean energy technology manufacturing – that is creating major new markets and millions of jobs but also raising new risks, prompting countries across the globe to devise industrial strategies to secure their place in the new global energy economy, according to a major new IEA report.

Energy Technology Perspectives 2023, the latest instalment in one of the IEA’s flagship series, serves as the world’s first global guidebook for the clean technology industries of the future. It provides a comprehensive analysis of global manufacturing of clean energy technologies today – such as solar panels, wind turbines, EV batteries, electrolysers for hydrogen and heat pumps – and their supply chains around the world, as well as mapping out how they are likely to evolve as the clean energy transition advances in the years ahead.

Related Articles


Latest Articles

  • ABB Contactor Selection Guide Canada

    October 1, 2025 ABB contactors are among the most reliable electrical switching devices in industrial automation. As Canada’s leading ABB authorized distributor, Proax has helped thousands of engineers and technicians select the right ABB contactor for their applications. Whether you’re designing a new motor control panel or replacing existing equipment, choosing the right ABB contactor can… Read More…

  • 25 Advanced Motion Control Questions Answered

    October 1, 2025 Electromate has compiled a list of 25 advanced mechatronic engineering FAQs covering inertia, vibration, servo safety, control tuning, encoder resolution, and motion system design, and provided answers from their team of experts across the country. How do I model moment loading in real-world applications with offset payloads? Moment loading should be calculated… Read More…


Featured Article

Revolutionizing Material Movement with Autonomous Mobile Robots

Revolutionizing Material Movement with Autonomous Mobile Robots

In today’s fast-paced manufacturing and logistics industries, the need for efficient and flexible material movement solutions has never been greater. Traditional methods like conveyor systems, forklifts, and manual pushcarts have served us well, but they come with limitations.

That’s why Omron is thrilled to announce the launch of their game-changing MD Series of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs). Read more


Products

  • Schneider Electric Unveils New AI Data Centre Reference Designs with NVIDIA

    October 6, 2025 Schneider Electric, a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, has announced new reference designs developed with NVIDIA that significantly accelerate time to deployment and aid operators as they adopt AI-ready infrastructure solutions. The first reference design delivers the industry’s first and only critical framework for integrated power management and liquid… Read More…

  • PISA-M Electronic Circuit Breakers: New NEC Class 2 Compliant Variants Available

    October 6, 2025 PULS introduces new 4-channel electronic circuit breakers designed specifically for power distribution in NEC Class 2 circuits, expanding the existing PISA-M series. PISA-M enables the safe distribution of load current into four individual Class 2 circuits. This offers a cost-effective alternative to multiple individually approved NEC Class 2 compliant power supplies, reducing both acquisition costs and… Read More…