US, European representatives clash over role of renewables in energy security

The widening rift between Washington and Brussels on the importance of renewables in energy security was on full display April 24 at an industry event in London even as the EU increases its imports of US LNG.

Part of a panel discussion at the Summit on the Future of Energy Security, Tommy Joyce, the acting US assistant secretary of international affairs at the US Department of Energy lambasted the net-zero agenda of his allies in Europe calling it "harmful" and proselytizing the need for fossil fuels in securing affordable energy.

"Unfortunately, the focus during the last administration was on climate politics and policies leading to [energy security] scarcity," Joyce said. "These policies have been embraced by many, not just in the United States and harm human lives. We oppose these harmful and dangerous policies. This is not energy security. And we know exactly where it leads."

These comments were in full contradiction of what EU and UK energy officials said at the same event.

In contrast, France's minister for industry and energy, Marc Ferracci, was very candid in his support for clean energy.

"As long as we remain massively dependent on fossil fuels, there will be no energy security for Europe," Ferracci said on the same panel with Joyce.

Ed Miliband, the UK secretary of state for energy and climate change, said the growth of cheap, homegrown low-carbon energy was crucial for ensuring the country's energy security.

This summit, which has been organized jointly by the International Energy Agency and the UK government, hopes to get countries to collaborate more on energy security with the possibility of a global cooperation pact.

US-EU gas flows

But despite these divisions, the US has emerged as a key supplier of gas to the EU.

The EU, which has lost access to cheap Russian fossil fuels following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, has seen its economy struggle due to high energy costs and has been diversifying its gas imports.

"On gas supply, we have not forgotten how the United States immediately stepped in with LNG when we needed it during the crisis," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at the same summit.

So far in 2025, EU imports of US LNG have reached 19 million mt -- just over 52% of total LNG supplies. The EU imported some 37.3 million mt of LNG from the US in 2024, accounting for around 45% of its total LNG deliveries, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights data.

Brussels has signaled it could be open to discussing increased deliveries of US LNG to the EU as part of any potential trade deal. It comes after US President Donald Trump called on Europe to raise energy imports to close its trade deficit with the US.

But the EC has also stressed that all imports of gas and LNG needed to comply with EU environmental legislation, including its methane emissions regulation.

Since Trump took over as US President in January, his government has rolled back several green energy policies, doubling down on the role of oil, gas and coal.

Trump has made no secret of his plans to push for more oil and gas production, saying "we will drill, baby, drill" in his inaugural address and calling the Paris agreement a "rip-off."