National Security and Economic Prosperity

As we mark the 50th Anniversary of the G7, as a group founded to strengthen economic cooperation, including in response to energy risks, we the G7 Ministers of Energy underscore the evolving scope of energy security and its impact on growth, competitiveness, and broader national and economic security. We note the importance of securing critical mineral and technology supply chains necessary for economic prosperity and national security, strengthening collaboration to improve the stability, resilience and flexibility of energy systems to meet energy demand and protect against threats and disruptions. We will take forward discussions to advance diversification, predictability and international collaboration on energy security recognizing the evolving and complex nature of energy systems.

We recognize that some countries are advancing the integration of zero and low emission energy sources as part of secure energy systems.

Building on our common resolve to enhance energy security, as articulated under the previous G7 Presidencies, and Canada’s G7 Leaders’ Summit in Kananaskis, we emphasize our determination to collaborate on energy security with a focus this year on the themes outlined in this Call to Action, We emphasize strengthening and securing supply chains for critical minerals, including through government and industry engagement and investment efforts under the Critical Minerals Production Alliance. We further undertake to build more secure, diverse and resilient supply chains for energy technologies, build and expand resilient infrastructure, including addressing systemic risk, and strengthening gas and electricity security in line with our domestic priorities and respective international commitments.

We condemn the use and manipulation of the supply of energy, critical minerals, and energy system technologies, as a tool of economic coercion, specifically through the adoption of non-market policies and practices such as market manipulation.

We further condemn physical and cyber-attacks, including threats to maritime shipping chokepoints for critical energy supplies, and to energy infrastructure that may threaten the safety, security, and economic well-being of the populations of G7 and allied nations, including Ukraine.

We also recognize the threats posed to energy infrastructure and supply chains by natural disasters and severe weather events, and the associated costs therein.

We affirm our commitment to achieving universal access to energy and reducing energy poverty. This includes advancing global access, affordability, and finance availability, to expand access to clean cooking technologies and fuels, including but not limited to, liquified petroleum gas (LPG).

Call to Action on Enhancing Energy Security

Recognizing the importance of concerted action to address these threats, the G7 hereby issues a Call to Action on Enhancing Energy Security that has diversification, predictability and international cooperation as its pillars to ensuring our individual and collective energy security.

Securing Critical Minerals & Technology Supply Chains

Ensuring our common energy security and broader national security objectives starts with cooperation on secure, diverse, and resilient access to critical minerals. We recognize the importance of taking effective action to ensure that actors engaged in non-market policies and practices cannot distort markets for critical minerals, and of reducing, and eventually eliminating, our dependence on non-market dominated critical minerals supply chains. Pursuant to the direction from G7 Leaders at the Summit in Kananaskis and articulated in the Critical Minerals Action Plan and the launch of the Critical Minerals Production Alliance, we will take actions to strengthen supply chain resilience, reliability, traceability and transparency, establish criteria that constitute a minimum threshold for standards-based markets, and secure and responsible critical minerals supply chains.

We recognize that the secure, diverse, reliable and resilient access to critical minerals is of paramount importance for our security and economic growth, and we are resolved to move the G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan forward across its three foundational pillars:

Building standards-based markets.
Mobilizing capital and investing in partnerships.
Promoting innovation.

We note with significant concern the impacts that restrictions on critical minerals, notably rare earth elements, are having across supply chains, including creating risks for global manufacturing and technologies pertaining to the energy sector.

We agree to use sovereign tools at our disposal to operationalize projects that will reduce global critical minerals supply chain disruptions and vulnerabilities. We will continue to collectively advance efforts under the Critical Minerals Production Alliance, to secure critical mineral supply chains through measures such as aggregating demand, coordinating offtake agreements with public and private sector participants and implementing price stabilization mechanisms with a view to supporting the production of more minerals needed for our collective security. By working together, including through our Alliance envoys, we are committed to bringing critical mineral projects into production with high standards, to drive economic growth and strengthen the security of supply of essential critical minerals.

To further complement our common energy and broader national security objectives, we undertake to collaborate on the diversification of supply chains for energy technology and components to make them more secure, robust, diversified and resilient. Together with industry and expert international organizations, we are dedicated to:

Develop, where feasible, trusted, interoperable and reliable data on supply chains for energy technology and components (mapping, best practices, advanced tools and reporting) to inform decision-making. This will assist with better understanding risks and interdependencies across critical mineral and energy technology value chains as well as identifying, prioritizing and addressing gaps and vulnerabilities in supply chains of high importance.
Drive investments and bring together partners from developed and developing countries to support their integration in energy supply chains to promote diversification and resilience in order to enable substantial investments, mobilize private capital and establish strong partnership models for a secure, diverse, responsible and resilient supply chains of critical minerals, the G7 will also leverage its Public Development Banks and Development Finance Institutions. These institutions, complementing the interventions of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) are particularly well placed to catalyze private finance and strengthen capacity building efforts in emerging markets and developing economies.
Undertake efforts to reduce primary critical mineral and material use and increase the circularity and resource efficiency of key energy materials.

Building Resilient Electricity Infrastructure

We recognize the importance of promoting resilient and efficient electricity infrastructure and meeting the anticipated growth in electricity demand projected in the coming years across the G7, notably due to growing electrification as well as data centres’ growing consumption. We will undertake efforts to optimize electricity demand and supply, to modernize and expand grid infrastructure, including transmission lines, taking into account the associated costs from cyber and physical attacks, natural disasters, and other threats. Implementing clear, predictable, stable, and efficient permitting, planning policies, and regulations, as appropriate and consistent with domestic priorities, is an essential component of energy security. We recognize the value of efforts that maximize the flexibility of supply and demand, reliability, and resilience of intertwined electricity markets, electricity systems, and the contribution of all grid technologies and assets. This includes wide- and large-scale integration of affordable, reliable, durable, enduring and secure energy, including all advanced technologies, as well as on the deployment of storage technologies.

We recognize the need for increasing the pace and scale of deployment of electricity generation and delivery infrastructure required to meet future electricity demand, drive affordability and address bottlenecks to private investments.

In this context, we are committed to advancing domestic efforts and international cooperation, including through the sharing of data and best practices, to:

Significantly scale-up investment in electricity transmission and distribution grids with the aim of expanding, strengthening, modernizing, and digitalizing networks.
Respond to projected demand growth with integration of affordable, reliable, and secure sources, in line with domestic priorities.
Address supply chain barriers including unfair market practices, inefficient regulations, and lack of appropriate investment and incentives for essential energy technologies and components critical to the timely delivery of grid infrastructure (such as semiconductors, power transformers, batteries, transmission and distribution cables and grain-oriented electrical steel).
Enhance integrated, long-term energy planning, according to countries’ individual domestic needs, including for power systems, to enable the identification of priority infrastructure projects to help attract capital, build system resilience, and accelerate grid modernization, including standardization, to enable grids to meet future demand.
Improve the efficiency of project review and accelerate permitting processes, contributing to shorter project lead time for critical infrastructure.
Accelerate the development and deployment of innovation in support of grid modernization.
Grow the skilled workforce of the future to address labour shortages across the energy sector, including manufacturing and technical expertise for enabling technologies such as AI.

We affirm our commitment to collaborate on the existing and evolving physical and cyber threats that electricity systems face, with a view to provide options and solutions to mitigate risks, and strengthen the preparedness and resilience of power systems, including through our continued collaboration in the IEA’s recently-established Electricity Security Task Force.

Strengthening Gas Security

We recognize the critical importance of near to medium-term natural gas security in an increasingly dynamic geopolitical environment, and the need for likeminded producer and consumer nations to create favorable conditions to continue to balance supply and demand especially considering regional supply needs, in line with our international commitments. We will collaborate to ensure gas security and affordability, including through necessary contractual arrangements and products in response to regional supply gaps and sharing best practices on policy options. We recognize the contributions of industry and stakeholders to energy security, reliability, and affordability, as well as innovations that improve responsible performance, including with respect to emissions.

We are encouraged that the natural gas industry within G7 nations contributes to energy security.

We recognize the role of voluntary initiatives engaging industry and governments that provide transparency on attributes of gas, including in response to consumer preferences and choice. We emphasize that industry and stakeholder-led voluntary initiatives can help in strengthening energy security and enhancing market competitiveness of reliable energy sources. We recognize that to ensure gas security, it is essential to diversify supply, to promote greater data availability across the value chain and to implement robust policies and measures that support research and development into gas reserves, including gas reserve mechanisms and advanced storage technologies, in line with our international commitments. Improving resilience of gas pipelines, terminals and storage, increasing storage efficiency, introducing flexible commercial arrangements, enhancing transparency of information, and reducing storage costs help strengthen energy security and contribute to a more stable and resilient energy market.

In this context we are committing to strengthening energy security and supporting greater market stability by:

Welcoming exchange of best practices, and lessons learned from pilot projects, on the production and distribution of gases, including but not limited to natural gas, hydrogen, e-methane, and biogases in line with domestic priorities.
Ensuring adequate natural gas storage capacity, including through gas reserve mechanisms or other sources of flexibility, and improving the efficiency of natural gas infrastructure, including natural gas pipelines and terminals.
Exploring potential opportunities through international co-operation with likeminded partners, including industry, and engaging in dialogues to enhance market competitiveness and transparency of reliable energy sources through voluntary market-based approaches, such as through creation of differentiated markets, that enhance energy independence, market resilience, and security and provide transparency on gas attributes.

We welcome the endorsement of the G7 Call to Action on Enhancing Energy Security by Australia, the Republic of Korea, and Ukraine.

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