US official discusses 'next step' in India-US energy tie-up

A key official in US President Donald Trump's administration today held deliberations on important energy related issues and on the "next step" in India-US energy partnership.
One of the first officials in the Donald Trump administration to visit India, Beth Urbanas, deputy assistant secretary for Asia and the Americas at the Office of International Affairs in the US Department of Energy (DOE), participated in a roundtable discussion here.
"The discussion focused on the next steps in the India-US Energy Partnership, identifying key energy priorities and potential areas of convergence between the two countries," a statement from the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), which convened the roundtable, said.

Urbanas is one of the first Trump administration officials to visit India and is responsible for managing DOE's bilateral and multilateral engagements with Asian and American countries.
"The multi-stakeholder discussion focussed on four strategic thematic areas -- energy access, renewables and energy efficiency, energy security, and energy technologies," the statement said.
Ashok Jhunjhunwala, the adviser to the Minister of Power, Satish Kumar from the Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy, Hari Natarajan from Clean Energy Access Network, and other experts also participated in this discussion.
CEEW CEO Arunabha Ghosh guided the discussion on measures to preserve the trusted close partnership that has developed between the India and United States over the years, the statement added.