American-German Climate and Energy Partnership

In 2023, the CEP saw another productive year in its main working groups and beyond. Key highlights included the German Embassy’s annual German Unity Day Reception co-hosted by the CEP, two expert trips to Germany, several workshops and Business Advisory Roundtables, and publications on offshore wind supply chains, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and the North American experiences with Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCU/S).  

US and Germany Team Up for Transatlantic Hydrogen Cooperation 

Since 2022, the CEP has worked on establishing and strengthening of direct channels between German and American hydrogen stakeholders, promoting clean hydrogen trade and technology cooperation to pave the way for a modern transatlantic energy alliance. In 2023, the first fruits of these endeavours have been harvested. Against the backdrop of new or revised hydrogen strategies in the US and Germany as well as a generous hydrogen production tax credit under the IRA, hydrogen and technology trade have been officially added to the portfolio of the CEP. 

Various events and meetings in the course of the year - including talks with potential hydrogen exporters around CERAWeek in Houston in March 2023 - led up to the  first-ever US-Germany Hydrogen Conference in Berlin in October. More than 150 stakeholders from both countries explored the potential for trade in hydrogen derivatives and technology and looked at incentives and support programs, signalling the gradual fruition of a transatlantic hydrogen economy propelled by German and American companies.  

Looking ahead to 2024, plans are underway to establish a business-driven hydrogen trade task force under the CEP. As many clean hydrogen projects in the US, especially along the Gulf of Mexico, are focused on trade ambitions, first shipments of hydrogen derivatives to Germany become tangible.  

Strengthening Ties in German-Minnesotan Energy Collaboration 

Minnesota, a leading US state and role model for energy transition and climate action, and Germany share a long-standing and fruitful high-level exchange on energy-related topics. In 2023, this collaboration was furthered by a week-long delegation visit of high-ranking lawmakers and government officials from Minnesota to Germany, including Democratic House Majority Leader Jamie Long, the chairs of the Climate and Energy, Commerce and Capital Investments committees, and commissioners of the Departments of Commerce, Transport, and the Public Utilities Commission, as well as a delegation visit from the BMWK to Minnesota, both organized in cooperation with the University of Minnesota.  

The exchange with Germany has supported the development of energy transition policies in Minnesota over the last years and has been explicitly referenced several times in this context, most recently during the political debate around and eventual adoption of the ambitious 2023 law for the decarbonization of the electricity sector in Minnesota by 2040, authored by Rep. Long.