US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is scheduled to make her first diplomatic visit to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates next week, according to people familiar with the matter.
Granholm’s trip will focus in part on climate issues and diversifying the region’s energy mix, one of the people said. It comes as oil prices and inflation are key issues for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign and as members of OPEC+ prepare to decide whether to extend curbs on crude output at a meeting next month.
The Biden administration is in the midst of bilateral talks with the Saudis over normalizing relations between the Kingdom and Israel that could pave the way for a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with the U.S.
