Portugal is powerful partner in field of energy, says US ambassador
The country is "a powerful partner in the field of energy," stated the US ambassador, Randi Charno Levine.
The US ambassador to Portugal, Randi Charno Levine, considers that Portugal is “a powerful partner in the field of energy,” sharing the strategic vision of President Joe Biden’s government on this matter.
Speaking to Lusa – on the eve of the mid-term elections in the United States, scheduled for 8 November – the ambassador expressed confidence in the benefits for Europe of an energy strategy that values Portugal’s role as a distribution platform, a vision supported by her government.
“We agree on many issues, such as the need to build an energy bridge between the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa, to the rest of Europe, through the Green Energy Corridor maritime pipeline. When it is built, we expect more ‘green’ gas to flow through this corridor,” Levine said.
Levine declined to comment on the possibility of Portugal also serving as a host port for energy sold by the United States to Europe, in a scenario that would involve using the port of Sines to receive oil and gas from that country, and then distributing it throughout central Europe.
The US ambassador in Lisbon recalled that Portugal supports initiatives to strengthen the supply chains of raw materials essential to clean energy technologies, including wind turbines or electric vehicles, in line with the vision of President Joe Biden’s government.
Moreover, in the electoral rallies in which he has participated, supporting Democratic candidates for Congress, Biden has placed the energy agenda as one of the flagships of his party, distancing himself from the Republican Party, which he criticises for the lack of an ambitious strategy in the environmental field.
That’s why Randi Charno Levine says her government “strongly supports Portugal’s efforts to use its critical mineral resources, such as lithium, to build a high-value supply chain” to enhance the transition to renewable energy.
“These efforts will provide economic opportunities for Portugal and the United States, as well as increase energy security for both countries by diversifying supply chains,” the US ambassador concluded.
