By Kim Young-jin
Staff reporter
Korea and the United States must maintain active cooperation in the energy domain, as the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has sounded an international wake-up call over the need to prioritize clean energy, the U.S. deputy energy secretary said Monday in Seoul.
"The tragic events we have witnessed in recent weeks in the Gulf show the potential costs of failing to embrace the opportunity to move our economies in the direction of a clean energy future," Daniel Poneman said in a speech at the Marriot Hotel in southern Seoul. "Our two nations will continue to play a seminal role, together, in building that future."
The remarks came as BP's Deepwater Horizon rig spews an estimated 35,000 to 60,000 barrels of oil a day into Gulf waters after exploding in April.
The White House is attempting to reframe the disaster as an opportunity to push to find alternative energy sources, reduce dependence on oil and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Those U.S. energy goals are well aligned with those of Seoul, Poneman said. He added that Korea is primed to take a leadership role in the field, citing President Lee Myung-bak's plan to develop industry based on eco-friendly, renewable energy technologies.
"It was noteworthy to listen to President Lee when he announced his Green New Deal package to stimulate the development of a low carbon, green growth economy here in South Korea," he said. "It's a path to create a sustainable and prosperous future for us all."
Poneman arrived in Seoul after attending a weekend gathering of energy ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Fukui, Japan.
At the meeting, the need to promote the nuclear power sector was high on the agenda as a way to bolster international energy security.
Poneman pointed to nuclear energy as an arena for U.S.-Korea cooperation, citing "the responsibility that our two nations have to make sure that as nuclear power is used, it is used responsibly."
He said President Lee's participation at the Nuclear Security Summit held in Washington, D.C. in April, as well Seoul's hosting of the event in 2012 are prime examples of such cooperation.
The two allies are also making joint efforts to research in the areas of smart grids and clean coal technologies, Poneman said.
Korea, which generates some 30 percent of its electricity from nuclear power, is emerging as major player in nuclear power plant construction.
Seoul is seeking a plant contract in Turkey following the $20 billion it landed with the United Arab Emirates last year. India, Malaysia, the Philippines and Finland have also expressed interest in acquiring plants.