PRESS RELEASE : UK to join Biden’s emissions challenge as it forges closer energy security links with US [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 18 May 2023.

Grant Shapps begins 4-day visit to the US, as Department for Energy Security and Net Zero marks first 100 days.

The UK will back President Biden’s drive to remove and store global carbon emissions as it forges ever-closer links with the United States on energy security.

Grant Shapps said the UK will join the President’s Carbon Management Challenge on a 4-day visit to the US this week. The Challenge encourages countries to rapidly cut emissions and develop removal technologies to capture CO2 and store it deep underground.

The UK has one of the largest carbon storage potentials, including under the North Sea, of any country in the world, with capacity to hold up to 78 billion tonnes of carbon – equal to the weight of 15 billion elephants. This will create a whole new industry, worth £8 billion to the UK economy and produce around 50,000 new jobs – supporting the government’s priority to grow the economy.

The Energy Security Secretary’s visit to the US this week will strengthen collaboration between the 2 countries. This includes working closely together on clean and renewable technologies to cut household bills, reduce the need for foreign fossil fuels and further drive tyrants like Putin out of the global energy market.

Grant Shapps is meeting senior members of the Biden administration, including his Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm in Washington DC yesterday (Wednesday), and key figures such as California Governor Gavin Newsom today (Thursday).

The visit comes as the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero marked its 100th day.

Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, said:

Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine has had the exact opposite effect from what he wanted – rather than wilting in the face of his tyranny, we’ve stood firm and united and are neutralising his blackmail.

Our resolve has strengthened our relationships around the world, and nowhere more so than with the United States, where we are forging ever-closer links to deliver cleaner, cheaper, and more secure energy – ensuring the likes of Putin can never again hold the world to ransom.

We’re world leaders in renewable technologies and by supporting President Biden’s Carbon Management Challenge we are taking a step closer to realising our huge potential and be at the forefront of this exciting industry of the future.

Today in California, the Energy Security Secretary is due to meet Governor Gavin Newsom and Secretary for Environmental Protection Yana Garcia. Grant Shapps will point to the UK’s world leading expertise in renewable energy, including offshore wind, and is expected to discuss how the UK and California – the world’s fourth largest economy – can work closer together on clean technologies.

In Washington DC yesterday, the Energy Security Secretary discussed with Secretary Granholm closer collaboration further diminish Putin and deliver cheaper, cleaner and more secure energy for both countries.

In addition to the Carbon Management Challenge, the UK is supporting John Kerry’s First Movers Coalition (FMC) under the Breakthrough Agenda – a UK-led initiative launched by 45 world leaders at COP26. The FMC sees companies around the world make pledges to cut their carbon emissions, such as by cleaning up manufacturing processes and supply chains.

To date, 6 UK companies – PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte, the Aveva Group, Rio Tinto, National Grid and Ernst & Young – have become partners. Today, Grant Shapps is calling on other British businesses to consider following suit, and be part of the global effort to clean up the most carbon-intensive industries.