A new partnership between the UK and German governments has been agreed to help secure safe, affordable and clean energy for consumers in both nations for the long term and bolster energy security.
The energy and climate partnership between the two countries involves a commitment to several key areas. Firstly, there is a pledge to enhance cooperation in renewables, with a focus on offshore wind and electricity interconnection. This entails the removal of regulatory barriers and an acceleration of offshore hybrid project deployment. Additionally, the partnership aims to facilitate the exchange of industry knowledge and expertise to advance the exploration of carbon capture, utilisation, and storage, with a specific emphasis on cross-border CO2 transport. The agreement also includes efforts to strengthen and promote regional and global energy security, covering topics such as winter preparedness, infrastructure security, and supply chain resilience. Lastly, both nations have agreed to share best practises and lessons learnt in the realms of industrial, buildings, and heat decarbonisation, as well as energy efficiency and the development of net-zero policies and strategies.
Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho said:
“The UK and Germany agree on the importance of clean, affordable energy and we both recognise its crucial role in growing our economies and guaranteeing national and global energy security.
We are already working together in the North Sea to deliver our world-leading offshore wind ambitions, as well as linking our countries with subsea electricity cables.
Today’s agreement will see us extend and deepen our partnership to ensure we continue to lead Europe and the world in making the green transition.”
German Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck said:
“Germany and the UK face similar challenges. We have made good progress regarding the transition towards climate neutrality, but there is still a long path ahead of us. Cooperation with reliable partners can help all partners to advance not only faster, but better.
We can learn from each other’s experiences, share knowledge and work together to reach our common goals. The joint declaration signed today builds upon a long history of cooperation and provides a sound framework for successfully working together in future.”
Beverley Cornaby, Director, Policy and Systems Change Collaborations, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL):
“Clean power generation is front-and-centre of the UK’s strategy to reach net zero by 2050. This partnership will support these aims by providing a blueprint on energy and climate between Europe’s 2 largest economies – helping the UK and Germany to bolster cooperation, remove regulatory barriers on renewables and share knowledge on industrial decarbonisation.”
