Washington, DC - The U.S. Secretary of State’s Special Envoy for International Energy Affairs, Amos Hochstein, will travel to El Salvador, July 21–22, to meet with Central American Integration System energy ministers and regional electricity market institutions.

Special Envoy Hochstein’s discussions with regional counterparts will focus on U.S.-Central American energy cooperation, including the Connecting the Americas 2022 initiative, which supports efforts to develop a regional electricity market, advance energy sector reform, and strengthen regulatory and investment frameworks to expand access to electricity and mobilize clean energy finance in the Western Hemisphere. Energy cooperation with the region is a key element of the U.S. strategy for engagement in Central America.

As the U.S. Chair, Special Envoy Hochstein’s meetings will help set the stage for convening the U.S.-Caribbean and Central American Energy Security Task Force, announced by President Obama and regional leaders in their April 2015 meetings in Panama and Jamaica.