Thursday 26 August 2010

Norway and UK energise friendship

Energy minister Charles Hendry and his Norwegian counterpart announced a series of measures to improve co-operation between the two countries on Wednesday. At the heart of it was recognising how important Norwegian gas is to the UK and working on measures to ensure security of supply.

The nations agreed to exchange information to improve inspections, respond to accidents and enhance oil recovery. But the biggest push was for renewable energy and in particular wind projects in the North Sea. There was even talk of a potential link between the National Grid and Norway's equivalent, Statnett to link renewable power supplies.

The governments' also agreed to work on improving Carbon Capture and Storage not only in the North Sea and Europe but to assist in developing countries and in particular to help China achieve ambitious plans for zero emissions coal projects.