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US Energy Secretary Promotes Propane at Africa Clean Cooking Summit
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright appeared digitally at a July 10 International Energy Agency summit on replacing charcoal cooking fuels in Africa with propane. The event drew $900 million in new government commitments. A DOE spokesperson tied the push to trade-focused US policy rather than aid.
Jul 17, 7:37 AM·2m read1 source
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US Energy Secretary Chris Wright made a digital appearance on or around July 10 at an International Energy Agency summit on replacing charcoal and other indoor cooking fuels in African households with cleaner alternatives such as propane. Wright told attendees that included Kenyan president William Ruto and African Union energy commissioner Lerato Mataboge that access to clean cooking is one of the most impactful yet overlooked challenges of our time.
He added that expanding access to affordable and reliable propane gas can transform human lives across the globe.
The summit attracted $900 million in new government commitments, according to the IEA. A DOE spokesperson declined to specify how much of that total came from the US but said more details of commercial commitments including from US companies would be made public soon.
The spokesperson stated that Wright's support for LPG reflects the Trump administration's broader approach to energy-related foreign assistance which is centered on trade not aid.
This approach views LPG and clean cooking as commercial markets to be developed rather than humanitarian needs the spokesperson said. With global demand for LPG projected to continue growing helping meet that demand advances both expanded energy access abroad and US economic interests.
Fewer than 20 percent of households in sub-Saharan Africa have consistent access to clean cooking fuels and indoor air pollution is responsible for 815000 premature deaths per year in the region.
US propane exports have reached a record high equal to almost two-thirds of total US production according to federal data. The IEA reported that 30 percent of the global LPG supply has been cut by disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz due to the war in Iran.
