London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – During a two-day Northern Europe visit, Sir Starmer travels to Norway to announce a green energy partnership aimed at enhancing Britain’s energy security.
Before participating in a defence summit in Estonia, he is travelling to Norway to launch a green energy agreement.
As reported by the Independent, Sir Keir Starmer will travel to a carbon capture site and meet Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store to discuss a deal,
Number 10 said this deal is expected to be signed by both leaders in spring 2025.
During their flight to Tallinn, they are expected to hold “sky-lateral” talks before attending a Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) summit with many European military leaders.
The Prime Minister stated that the energy agreement with Norway will drive growth and protect the UK from international energy price surges, such as those resulting from President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
He said, “It will harness the UK’s unique potential to become a world leader in carbon capture – from the North Sea to the coastal south – reigniting industrial heartlands and delivering on our plan for change.”
This move comes just days after Labour signed the first carbon capture usage and storage (CCUS) contracts in the UK, with BP and Norwegian firm Equinor confirming investments in the northeast of England on Tuesday.
Green Volt, a floating offshore wind farm operated by Vargronn and Flotation Energy, has pledged front-end engineering and design contracts to support its development.
The plant is expected to provide thousands of jobs to the nation and supply power for approximately one million houses when it becomes operational in 2028.
Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said, “We need cooperation, knowledge and innovation to better equip us to face the future. The partnership with the UK will be important to facilitate more green jobs both in Norway and the UK, and for advancing the green transition.”
Mr Store added, “We work closely with the UK in a wide range of areas. We have cooperated in the field of carbon capture and storage for more than 20 years, and further strengthening our cooperation with the UK will help us to cut emissions and create green jobs.”
He said it’s important to highlight what Norway can contribute to our collective efforts to meet common objectives.
Downing Street said that, as one of the UK’s top energy partners, Norway, the second-largest gas supplier after the UK Continental Shelf, will play a key role in helping the UK’s goal of securing home-grown energy and becoming a clean energy superpower by 2030 with a new agreement set to be signed in spring 2025.
The government sources stated that Britain and Norway will collaborate to tackle challenges to North Sea carbon storage projects and develop a bilateral partnership on CO2 transport under the London Protocol.
Sky News reports that during his visit to Norway and Estonia, Sir Starmer will join leaders from various European countries, including the Netherlands and Finland, to discuss security concerns.
The UK Government announced in 2014 that the alliance would serve as “a pool of high-readiness, adaptable forces” to strengthen Britain’s capabilities to respond quickly alongside like-minded allies anywhere in the world.
JEF has insisted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made its role significant in “enabling regional security” for its alliances.
The UK marked a historic milestone in October by becoming the first industrialized country to stop using coal for power generation after 150 years.
Just before Keir Starmer’s visit, Norway’s Statkraft launched the Swansea Greener Grid Park, which will use low-carbon technology to stabilise the grid stability and reduce the need for fossil fuel power plants.
Meanwhile, Statkraft has already made a £1.4 billion investment in renewable energy infrastructure in Britain.