US energy secretary to visit Saudi Arabia, UAE next week

US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm will visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates next week to work on "climate cooperation" and other issues.

Two Biden administration officials told Reuters on Friday.

One of the officials said that the visit will run from Tuesday through Thursday, with Granholm visiting the UAE first. It will be her first trip to the region as secretary.

"The visit is a continuation of long-standing engagement between the US and this region," the officials said.

"Specifically, for the Department of Energy, it will move forward the work both countries are doing on climate cooperation and to diversify the energy economy."

The sources said that Granholm will participate in a meeting of the Net-Zero Producers Forum, a group of countries representing 40 per cent of global oil and gas production, including the US, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

The group, which works on ways to cut emissions, such as a reduction of methane and deployment of clean energy, was formed in 2021.

Saudi Arabia and UAE are both mOPEC members, debating whether to extend output cuts.

The Net-Zero meeting was planned long in advance and Granholm does not plan to discuss oil policy with counterparts on the trip, one of the sources said.

The Biden administration and Saudi Arabia are nearing an agreement for US security guarantees and civilian nuclear assistance.

Those talks are being led on the US side by White House officials and the State Department, but not Granholm.