One North Sea - joint ministerial statement on climate change and energy security
Reference: 10/096
25 August 2010
On the occasion of the 2010 ONS Conference and Exhibition, an important industry event attracting several hundred Norwegian and British energy companies and investors;
Recognising the historical significance and important on-going role of offshore North Sea oil and gas in our bilateral trade relationship;
Identifying the growing potential for North Sea marine renewable energy projects to bring new investment and green job opportunities and to strengthen energy security in the region;
Acknowledging as a priority the need to apply new technology for the further development of North Sea petroleum resources in the most efficient, safe and environmentally responsible manner;
The Norwegian Minister for Petroleum and Energy and the British Minister of State for Energy agree the following priorities for UK and Norway cooperation:
Oil and gas
- Further develop the valuable relationship between Norway as gas supplier and the United Kingdom as an important gas consumer.
- Recognising the continuing importance of natural gas in respect to energy security, consider deepening existing mechanisms for information sharing in case of emergency gas supply disruptions and encourage work to develop co-operation between system operators.
- Pursue the development of fields close to the median line in the co-operative spirit laid down in agreements between our two countries.
- Exchange information and confer on the investigations into the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the appropriate regulatory and industry responses to the accident.
- Exchange information and co-operate in promoting Enhanced Oil Recovery.
Renewables
- Encourage the wind energy industry to exchange information on the development of offshore North Sea wind energy projects in order to learn from each other and lower costs for industry across the entire value chain.
- Support and follow closely the work of National Grid and Statnett on the feasibility study for an interconnection between the UK and Norway.
- Work together to encourage uptake of renewables and access to green energy in developing countries, including through REEEP and IRENA.
CCS
- Take forward actions resulting from Phase 2 of the North Sea Basin Task force in a Ministerial Meeting together with Germany and Netherlands, by establishing a work programme for Phase 3, including recommendations from the UK Norway funded One North Sea study.
- Work jointly with China to advise them in hosting the next Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum Ministerial meeting in 2011 as joint hosts of the 2009 meeting.
- Work together in the Clean Energy Ministerial CCUS Action Group to ensure that ambitious recommendations on how to overcome barriers to CCS deployment are presented to Ministers at the next Clean Energy Ministerial in Abu Dhabi in Spring 2011.
- Coordinate bilateral initiatives to advance CCS development in developing countries, particularly to ensure delivery of Phase II of the EU-China Near Zero Emissions Coal project
FOR THE
MINISTRY OF PETROLEUM AND ENERGY OF THE KINGDOM OF NORWAY |
FOR THE
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND |