Korea and the United Kingdom have agreed to expand their cooperation and exchanges in the fields of clean energy, including offshore wind and hydrogen, as well as nuclear power generation.
Minister Lee Chang-yang of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy met with Grant Shoppes, the Minister of the United Kingdom’s Department for Energy Security and Carbon Neutrality, to issue a joint declaration on their strengthened collaboration.
The two countries share a common goal of transitioning from fossil fuels to low-carbon power sources and plan to explore the possibility of constructing new nuclear power plants in the United Kingdom, with Korea Electric Power Corporation potentially participating in the project. Additionally, they will expand their cooperation in offshore wind power and hydrogen, with Korea bringing its experience and technology in hydrogen utilization, including the supply of the world’s largest hydrogen vehicles. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, has leading technologies in hydrogen production, such as water electrolysis, making organic hydrogen cooperation possible.
Minister Lee expressed hope for expanded cooperation in offshore wind power, leveraging the strengths of both countries. The two Ministers also discussed various nuclear cooperation plans, including nuclear power plant design, construction, and equipment manufacturing, as well as nuclear decommissioning, nuclear fuel, and small modular nuclear power plants.
Furthermore, they discussed ways to establish energy security and combat climate change, and Minister Lee conveyed Korea’s concerns about the energy efficiency ecodesign regulation, which the United Kingdom is seeking to revise to improve the efficiency of home appliances. The two Ministers expressed their mutual commitment to continued cooperation and exploration of opportunities related to the clean energy transition.
