The UK and Norway have announced a Green Industrial Partnership to advance clean energy collaboration, drive economic growth, and secure energy independence. The partnership, expected to be formalised in spring 2025, aligns with the UK’s ambition to become a clean energy superpower by 2030 and Norway’s leadership in renewable energy innovation.
The initiative focuses on leveraging the expertise of both nations in clean energy, with Norway being the UK’s largest supplier of gas after the UK Continental Shelf. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, visiting a cross-border carbon transport and storage facility in Norway, emphasised the partnership’s potential to transform the UK’s industrial regions, create jobs, and accelerate the transition to renewable energy.
This announcement follows significant developments in the UK’s carbon capture and storage (CCUS) sector, including the signing of contracts for the Northern Endurance Partnership and Net Zero Teesside projects. These initiatives, led by BP and Norwegian firm Equinor, will deliver clean power to up to one million homes by 2028 and generate thousands of skilled jobs in Teesside.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, “This Green Industrial Partnership will allow us to seize the opportunities from a new era of clean energy, driving investment into the UK and boosting jobs both now and in the future. It will harness the UK’s unique potential to become a world leader in carbon capture – reigniting industrial heartlands and delivering on our Plan for Change.”
The collaboration also highlights offshore wind energy advancements, including the Green Volt project, Europe’s first major commercial floating wind farm off Scotland’s northeast coast. The project, a joint venture between Norway’s Vårgrønn and the UK’s Flotation Energy, has awarded key design contracts to progress development.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre highlighted the importance of the partnership and said, “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. Strengthening our cooperation will help us cut emissions and create green jobs.”
Both nations have committed to identifying gaps in developing the North Sea as a carbon storage hub and working on a bilateral agreement for cross-border CO₂ transport under the London Protocol.
The announcement builds on the UK’s recent initiatives, including lifting the onshore wind ban, launching Great British Energy, approving nearly 2 GW of solar projects, and ending coal-fired power generation. Norway’s contributions include the groundbreaking Swansea Greener Grid Park, using low-carbon technology to enhance grid stability.
