The United States is an Arctic country, and the Arctic is an international domain bringing together 8 states with a legal, geographic, historical and cultural presence in the Arctic. Consequently all of DOE’s Arctic activities take into account domestic and international sensitivities of the Arctic region and its inhabitants.
National Strategy for the Arctic Region
DOE’s Arctic equities are guided by the National Strategy for the Arctic Region (NSAR) and the DOE Arctic Strategy. The latest version of the NSAR, issued by President Biden in 2022, reiterates that the United States seeks an Arctic region that is peaceful, stable, prosperous, and cooperative. The 4 pillars of both strategies are:
Pillar 1 – Security: Arctic security, from a domestic perspective, has traditionally been viewed through a Cold-War and post-Cold-War great power competition perspective which waxes and wanes with international relationships between the U.S. national interests, our allies, and peer or near-peer adversaries. This national security aspect of Arctic security is not diminishing. The “opening” of the Arctic and a recognition of the individual and community security needs of Arctic residents has expanded the Arctic security demands that DOE and the national lab complex must help address. In 2024 the Arctic Energy Office brought on a Nuclear Energy Liaison to work with DOD and other agencies on nuclear power for Eielson Air Force Base and potentially other defense facilities. Recognizing that Arctic communities are also defense assets, the office maintains relationships with stakeholders across the region to help improve communities’ livelihoods.
Pillar 2 – Climate Change and Environmental Protection: Internationally, DOE has been sponsoring Arctic engagement on resilient housing in conjunction with NREL's Alaska Campus- the former Cold Climate Housing Research Center. In 2023 DOE sponsored the first ever Arctic-focused U.S. Embassy Science Fellow, based in Iceland, to further these links. The Arctic Energy Office is currently funding extreme cold climate heat pump testing and a solar microgrid best practices working group to maximize larger DOE deployment investments in the U.S. Arctic.
Pillar 3 – Sustainable Economic Development: DOE has been working to build sustainable economic development across the Arctic through our participation in the Zero-Emission Shipping challenge through Mission Innovation to build climate -friendly transport links in the Arctic. Working with the co-chairs Denmark and Norway and the other partners, MI announced the start of development of a green shipping corridor between Seattle and Alaska that will help open the energy transition in the Arctic maritime sector.
Pillar 4 – International Cooperation and Governance: The United States works to sustain institutions for Arctic cooperation, including the Arctic Council, and to position these institutions to manage the impacts of increasing activity in the region. We also seek to uphold international law, rules, norms, and standards in the Arctic.
Growing Partnerships
As outlined in the DOE Arctic Strategy, we engage with federal, state, local, tribal, academic, and international partners to advance the scientific understanding of the Arctic.
DOE, alongside the other like-minded Arctic Council member states and observers, fosters knowledge sharing and research collaboration to address common challenges in the region. Through various platforms organized by the International Arctic Research Policy Commission (chartered under the National Science Foundation) the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, and the working groups of the Arctic Council, tour office facilitates dialogue and information exchange on topics such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate change.
These collaborative efforts enable researchers, policymakers, and industry experts to share best practices, innovative technologies, and scientific findings. By pooling resources and expertise, DOE's international cooperation initiatives enhance our understanding of the Arctic's energy potential, its environmental impacts, and sustainable energy solutions.
Arctic Remote Energy Networks Academy (ARENA)
Through international cooperation, DOE shares best practices and technologies to improve energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and enhance the resilience of energy systems.
The Arctic Remote Energy Networks Academy (ARENA) is a notable DOE initiative that promotes energy efficiency and grid resilience in remote Arctic communities. ARENA provides training and capacity-building programs to Arctic stakeholders, empowering them to optimize energy systems and integrate renewable energy sources. This knowledge exchange strengthens local expertise and contributes to the long-term sustainability of energy infrastructure in the Arctic. ARENA is sponsored by the Arctic Council Sustainable Development Working Group.
U.S.-Iceland Energy and Climate Dialogue
In February 2024, Secretary Granholm traveled to Iceland to launch the new U.S.-Iceland Energy and Climate Dialogue, which includes workstreams on geothermal energy, carbon management, and hydrogen. Under this partnership, Iceland attended the 5th Ministerial of the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation (P-TECC) in July 2024 to assist countries in Central and Eastern Europe to develop and expand their geothermal sectors for energy independence and accelerated transitions to net zero energy sources.
The Arctic Energy Office led DOE participation at the Arctic Energy Forum and Arctic Circle Assembly in October 2024, networking with fellow Arctic states and sponsoring multiple panels on Arctic energy, transportation, nuclear energy, and other topics at both events. On the margins of the Arctic Energy Forum, experts from DOE and National Labs met with their Icelandic counterparts to exchange views on Arctic energy issues. DOE and Iceland are preparing a full schedule of working group activities for 2025.
DOE-Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) Work on Energy Cooperation
Under the auspices of a renewed and updated DOE-NRCan MOU signed in 2021 by Secretary Granholm and the then-Minister of NRCan, one area of cooperation is to “share knowledge and best practices regarding generation of, and improving access to, sustainable, resilient, and affordable energy for remote and Indigenous communities; and addressing the impacts of climate change in the Arctic.”
Greenland Embassy Science Fellow
The United States will be sending its first Embassy Science Fellow from DOE to Greenland in 2025. The fellow will be based in Sisimiut and work with the U.S. consulate in Nuuk and the scientific community in Greenland on renewable energy and built-space challenges facing the Arctic.
U.S.-Finland Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Concerning Cooperation on Nuclear Energy and Nuclear Waste Management
In April 2023, DOE Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Dr. Kathryn Huff and Finland Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment Director General for Energy Riku Huttunen signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate on nuclear energy and nuclear waste management. Potential areas of cooperation include nuclear energy, nuclear power technology, nuclear waste management and decommissioning, advanced nuclear reactors, nuclear safety, nuclear fuels, and other relevant nuclear energy technologies or solutions.
U.S.-Sweden Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Concerning Cooperation on Civil Nuclear Energy
In July 2024, DOE Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Sweden Minister for Energy, Business, and Industry Ebba Busch signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on bilateral nuclear energy cooperation. This MOU aims to strengthen cooperation between the United States and Sweden to support the development of new nuclear power, through information exchanges related to policy, research, advanced nuclear reactors, supply chains, economic and financial frameworks, workforce development, and development of advanced nuclear fuels.