The ambitious partnership enhances the UK and Norway’s longstanding collaboration on energy and is one of the key deliverables of Starmer’s and Støre’s over-arching Strategic Partnership
On a visit to Oslo this week, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband secured a Green Industrial Partnership with Norwegian counterparts Ministers Terje Aasland and Cecilie Myrseth and met with Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.
The Energy Secretary also met a number of energy companies to deepen bilateral relationships and make the case for clean energy investment in Britain. Norway is a crucial ally in securing our energy security, which in turn will deliver clean, secure and cheaper power for British families, whilst securing new clean energy manufacturing jobs through the Plan for Change.
The ambitious partnership enhances the UK and Norway’s longstanding collaboration on energy and is one of the key deliverables of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s and Norwegian Prime Minister Støre’s over-arching Strategic Partnership.
It focuses on key areas that support the development of renewables. These include offshore wind and grid development, collaboration on the protection of UK and Norwegian offshore infrastructure and reducing barriers to develop a North Sea hub for the cross-border storage of carbon dioxide.
This builds on the government’s aim for the North Sea to be at the heart of Britain’s clean energy future and to drive economic growth.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said, “Energy security is national security – and only by working with key partners like Norway can we accelerate clean power that we control, getting us off the rollercoaster of fossil fuels in these unstable times. Together we can invest in a clean energy future and take advantage of the opportunities ahead in the North Sea, with good clean energy jobs and export opportunities for British business – delivering growth through our Plan for Change.”
Norway’s Minister of Energy Terje Aasland said, “Norway and the United Kingdom have a unique relationship in the energy sector, characterized by innovation and close cooperation across the North Sea. I am very pleased that today we are establishing a forward-looking partnership to promote the green transition and further strengthen the collaboration between our two countries.”
Minister of Trade and Industry Cecilie Myrseth said, “This agreement is important for Norwegian industry, especially when it comes to securing value chains for raw materials and clean energy. By combining Norwegian and British strengths, we can create jobs, develop new industries, and enhance our competitiveness.”
Minister of Climate and Environment, Andreas Bjelland Eriksen said, “A green transition is crucial if we are to meet our climate targets, while also creating new jobs. The partnership with the United Kingdom will strengthen our joint efforts to promote implementation of the Paris Agreement through international climate diplomacy. We will also further develop the close cooperation we have to halt and reverse the deforestation of the rainforest.”
It is estimated that the UK’s seas have the potential to store up to 78 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, which this partnership could help to unlock to support jobs and reduce emissions across Europe.
Research also suggests that closer cooperation on the clean energy transition in the North Seas could lower bills, create up to 51,000 jobs, and add up to £36 billion to the UK economy. By 2030, the North Sea could provide up to 120GW of offshore wind generation, which is enough to power over 120 million homes. This will contribute to the UK and Europe’s energy security in a volatile world, whilst creating significant export opportunities for British business.
Norway is a key energy partner for the UK, and the new partnership builds on decades of collaboration and a mutual commitment to support the development of the UK’s offshore sectors in the North Sea. By working with European partners to transform the North Sea basin into a low carbon and renewables powerhouse, the UK can accelerate the global energy transition and lead efforts to combat climate change on the world stage.
UK and Norwegian companies are already playing an important role in driving the energy transition forward. This includes firms such as Norwegian energy major Equinor which has invested in UK offshore wind, carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) and hydrogen, as well as Europe’s biggest renewables generator, Statkraft, a major developer in the UK alongside other Norwegian companies Fred Olsen and Vårgrønn.
This agreement forms part of the UK-Norway Strategic Partnership, covering defence, security, energy and the green transition.
