U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz applauded last week's appointment of Fatih Birol as the executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA).
"Birol is an ideal candidate to lead the agency in a time of global energy transformation," Moniz said. "His deep knowledge of energy markets, global energy forecasts, and climate change mitigation and adaptation challenges have made him an internationally known leader in the energy field. I spoke with Fatih, and both congratulated him and thanked him for taking on this important responsibility."
A Turkish citizen, Birol is replacing Maria Van Der Hoeven as the leader of the IEA. He has worked for the IEA for 20 years, most recently overseeing the release of the World Energy Outlook report each year.
The switch in leadership at the IEA comes at a time when the global energy market is experiencing dramatic changes due to the abundance of oil from U.S. shale formations.
"There are strong links between energy security and climate change," Moniz said. "As the United States takes bold action at home to move toward a low-carbon economy and seeks to partner with others in this historic shift in the energy system, we will work with Fatih to advance common interests. This will include collaborating on the 2015 IEA Energy Ministerial, which will be chaired by the United States and will include an emphasis on clean energy technology solutions to energy security and climate change challenges."
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