The U.S. State Department announced on Wednesday that a bilateral nuclear energy agreement between the two countries had come into effect, noting that it will strengthen their collaboration in terms of energy security.
According to a statement from the department, it is the “first bilateral agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation” between the two nations.
These agreements, also referred to as “123 agreements,” open the door for complex concerns such as the lawful transfer of nuclear material, technology, and knowledge from the United States following nonproliferation rules.
Ned Price, a spokesperson for the State Department, wrote on Twitter that “This agreement will further strengthen the U.S.-Mexico relationship and deepen our cooperation on energy security,”
The agreement was struck in 2018 between Mexico and the US, but it was not approved until March by Mexico’s Senate.
One nuclear facility running two reactors is owned and operated by Comision Federal de Electricidad, the national electricity company of Mexico. Nuclear energy has been characterized as “clean, safe, consistent, and profitable” by Energy Minister Rocio Nahle.
John Kerry, the climate envoy for the White House, visited Mexico this week to speak with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on renewable energy, with a focus on lithium, batteries, and the auto industry.
Energy sector collaboration has previously been discussed with a focus on Pemex, the nation’s state-owned oil firm, drastically reducing methane emissions and natural gas flaring.
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