Prime Minister Keir Starmer has officially launched the UK-led Global Clean Power Alliance, marking a significant step in accelerating the global transition to clean energy. The initiative, unveiled at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, unites the developed and developing nations to address critical energy challenges and deliver on COP28 commitments to triple renewable energy and double energy efficiency.
Brazil, Australia, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Morocco, Norway, Tanzania, and the African Union are the founding members of the alliance. The United States and the European Union have also partnered with the UK on this initiative, highlighting its broad international reach.
Prime Minister Starmer and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva emphasised the partnership’s potential to unite the Global North and South in advancing clean power efforts.
The alliance will tackle energy transition challenges through targeted missions, the first being the Finance Mission, co-chaired by Brazil. This mission aims to unlock large-scale private finance and ensure no developing country is left behind. It includes commitments to support nations in building investment platforms and facilitating clean energy financing.
The UK is positioning itself as a global leader in clean energy, with significant progress on its green energy transition. Since July, £34.8 billion in private investment has been funnelled into homegrown clean energy industries, creating thousands of jobs. Employment in green sectors has risen by 20% from 2020 to 2022, with around 640,000 people now working in green jobs—growing four times faster than overall UK employment.
The government has also lifted the de facto ban on onshore wind, pledged to end new oil and gas licences, and launched GB Energy, a national clean power company.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “The UK is already leading the way in the clean power transition – we’ve phased out coal power, lifted the ban on onshore wind and launched GB Energy – but we will not stop there. We want our clean energy ambitions to go global, so it is fantastic news that multiple other countries are now on board with the UK-led Global Clean Power Alliance.”
He added, “I will restore the UK’s role as a climate leader on the world stage – and this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make sure we face up to the climate crisis head-on, while delivering more jobs, growth and prosperity for people across the entire planet.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said, Speeding up the global clean energy transition is in Britain’s national interest – it is the route to the jobs of the future, energy security and tackling the climate crisis. The UK is back in the business of climate leadership and that means working more closely with other countries to get off the fossil fuel rollercoaster and unlock the rewards of cheap, secure and clean power at home and abroad. Brazil signing up to our finance mission is a huge vote of confidence ahead of the crucial COP30 summit in Belem next year, sending a strong message to the world that together we can accelerate the clean energy revolution.”
