DOE AND GNZ OFFICIALS DISCUSS USG-PROPOSED CLEAN ISLAND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 WELLINGTON 000051 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR STATE FOR EAP/ANP PACOM FOR J01E/J2/J233/J5/SJFHQ E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG SENV PREL NZ SUBJECT: DOE AND GNZ OFFICIALS DISCUSS USG-PROPOSED CLEAN ISLAND INITIATIVE WELLINGTON 00000051 001.2 OF 003 REFTEL: Wellington 48 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Following a visit to Antarctica, U.S. Department of Energy DAS Steven Chalk met with a GNZ inter-ministerial group chaired by the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology (MORST) to discuss a proposed Clean Island Initiative, which was first discussed during DOE A/S Andy Karsner's visit to New Zealand in January 2008. GNZ officials welcomed the proposal, and agreed to provide further comments to a draft DOE concept paper shared with the New Zealand and Iceland governments. Chalk and GNZ officials also agreed to meet on the margins of the March WIREC meetings in Washington to further discuss the initiative. NZ officials urged that Clean Island meetings be scheduled to coincide with other major fora as it is often difficult for GNZ officials to travel long distances for meetings. End Summary. Clean Island Initiative -------------- ¶2. (SBU) As a follow-up to DOE A/S Karsner's January 14-15 visit to Wellington and Auckland (reftel),DOE DAS Steven Chalk visited Wellington on February 12 and met with GNZ officials to further review the DOE-proposed Clean Island international partnership. The premise of the initiative is that island nations are particularly vulnerable to the negative effects of climate change (e.g., sea level rise and extreme weather) as well as energy price shocks because many island nations are spending large sums for imported fuels. Developing island countries, with relatively small populations, can benefit from technology transfer of renewable energy forms from developed island nations. Developed islands such as Iceland, New Zealand, and the U.S. state of Hawaii have already made a commitment to renewable energy use and have the potential to export best practices to less developed countries. The purpose of the international partnership proposed by DOE is to create an information sharing nexus of island nations using renewable energy, which will then be placed to assist other interested island countries with lessons learned. ¶3. (SBU) DOE envisions bringing together policy experts, energy and technical officials, as well as financial institutions for regular meetings to further the use of renewable energies with a goal of reaching 70 percent usage on these developed islands within a single generation. Success will be defined and measured in a number of ways; chief among them will be measurable adoption and transition to renewables and higher energy efficiency. ¶4. (SBU) Initially, DOE foresees limiting participation within the partnership to developed island nations that have made a significant commitment to renewables, have invested in research and development, and defined policy statements and strategies for achieving carbon neutral status. Given that developed countries are still refining their deployment of renewables and research/development efforts are continuing, DOE believes that it would be premature to include developing island nations at the outset of the partnership. GNZ Officials React to the DOE Initiative -------------- ¶5. (SBU) In an inter-ministerial meeting hosted for DAS Chalk by MORST's Director for Environmental and Social Development, Eric Pyle, Chalk briefed the group regarding the Major Economies meeting that recently had taken place in Hawaii. The meetings had been productive and the USG was encouraged that post-2012 goals would be quantified in the near future, said the DOE official. Chalk offered that the USG had worried some countries might wait out the current Administration, but that had not been the case. ¶6. (SBU) The DOE recently signed an MOU with the Governor of Hawaii that will lead to 70 percent renewable energy use within one generation, said Chalk. The Hawaiian island of Lanai will be a test WELLINGTON 00000051 002.2 OF 003 case, where DOE hopes to meet the 70 percent target in a few years through a mixture of addressing institutional barriers, policy changes, technical fixes, and private financing. Grid integration will be a key element to large-scale renewable use and DOE will work with utilities in Hawaii, he added. ¶7. (SBU) Chalk welcomed the opportunity to review the concept paper for the Clean Island initiative that DOE A/S Karsner had discussed with MORST CEO Helen Anderson during the former's mid-January visit to New Zealand (reftel). He noted that the document remains a draft concept paper, and DOE welcomes further refinement from New Zealand. DOE would like to meet on the margins of the March WIREC meetings in Washington to discuss the initiative in greater detail in preparation for holding the first meeting in Iceland in June. The goal would be to bring together technology, policy, and financial officials for moving island nations to advance clean energy deployment on a large scale. Chalk noted that DOE would like to foster longer term public-private partnerships - particularly in the area of financing biofuel development through venture capitalist investment - and that government-backed loans may play a role. A/S Karsner, emphasized Chalk, hopes that the initiative will lead to executable plans for measurable results, e.g., 70 percent use of renewables in one generation and where appropriate, 100 percent use. In addition, reduction in demand and increased energy efficiency are also important components. Chalk said that Hawaii pays US 20 cents/kilowatt hour for electricity, which is five times the US mainland price - renewables are therefore competitive in terms of price. ¶8. (SBU) While some renewable energy sources, e.g., wind and geothermal, are already deployed, more work is needed to improve cellulosic biofuels, plug-in hybrid vehicles, wave/ocean power and hydrogen, Chalk mentioned. As far as geothermal work is concerned, the DOE official noted the strong synergy between New Zealand, Iceland and the state of Hawaii. He pointed to the international bank established by Iceland (with government backing) to finance geothermal projects as an example of the type of policy approach needed to advance use of renewables. ¶9. (SBU) GNZ officials responded positively to Chalk's remarks and expressed strong willingness to collaborate on the Clean Island Initiative. Roger Fairclough, Manager of Fuels and Crown Resources at the Ministry of Economic Development, said that MED would be keen to share paradigms and learn from other states' experiences. He agreed that large-scale deployment of renewables is key to transformational change for islands. Ministry of Transport officials Simon King and Tony Frost also welcomed the initiative, noting that the GNZ has targeted electric vehicles as part of New Zealand's sustainability plan. Both noted that renewable energy use for electricity generation in New Zealand is not problematic due to NZ's plentiful natural resources; the transport sector - as in Iceland - is the biggest challenge. Air New Zealand and Boeing are reviewing use of biofuels for air transport, they said, to address tourism concerns over the greenhouse gas emissions associated with long-distance air travel. Transport officials urged that the Clean Island Initiative focus on a systems approach towards the demand side of transport needs within island communities. They also noted that each participating country in the Clean Island Initiative will have different resource endowments and different priorities and strengths. New Zealand, for example, does not have a domestic automobile manufacturing capability so has little relevant research and development to share for that sector. ¶10. (SBU) GNS Geothermal Manager Colin Harvey and General Manager of Research Robin Falconer noted that New Zealand has a heavy research strategy focus on renewables, with geothermal work now pushing into non-traditional areas, i.e., low-temperature heat. Harvey offered that geothermal provides opportunities for small, isolated communities, and that New Zealand had worked with United Technologies from Alaska. Oceans and tidal energy will require weather forecasting models, he added. WELLINGTON 00000051 003.2 OF 003 ¶11. (SBU) GNZ officials asked Chalk about the scale of renewable deployment in Hawaii; Chalk estimated that it would require 5-10 gigawatts, noting moving to renewables not only entails replacing power but also generating capacity as well. There are integration and control limitations, but these engineering issues and not scientific ones, he added. ¶12. (SBU) In discussing the format for future Clean Island meetings, GNZ officials urged that the USG try to combine meetings with other established fora likely to draw the same participants to reduce additional travel. Roger Fairclough noted the growing number of biofuel meetings and suggested that the Clean Island initiative might coincide with the APEC experts group meetings. Chalk promised to relay the contents of his meetings to A/S Karsner and rework the draft concept paper accordingly for further discussion in Washington during the March WIREC meetings. ¶13. (U) DAS Chalk cleared this message. KEEGAN