LONDON (dpa-AFX) - UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and California Governor Gavin Newsom have signed a new agreement to deepen ties on decades of cooperation on climate, clean energy and the environment between the United Kingdom and the U.S. state.
The agreement, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), was signed in London on Monday.
It will strengthen partnership to boost transatlantic investment, supporting jobs and industry, and strengthening relationships between research institutions in the UK and California.
UK's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said that the MoU creates a refreshed framework to drive innovation, scale up clean energy technologies and connect businesses and researchers across both economies.
This agreement will connect the UK's fast-growing clean energy sector with the Californian market, opening up new export opportunities, supporting skilled jobs opportunities across the UK and backing British businesses to compete and grow with companies like Octopus Energy already expanding on the West Coast.
It also delivers a commitment to strengthen cooperation on clean energy, climate and the environment to speed up the rollout of technologies that cut bills for families, reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets and protect the natural environment. This builds on other MoUs signed by the UK focused on economic cooperation with 11 other U.S. states, including Washington and Florida.
The partnership will also see both governments share practical expertise on protecting biodiversity and building resilience for their communities, in the face of extreme weather.
The clean energy economies of the UK and California are growing rapidly, with the UK's net zero economy growing three times faster than the overall UK economy in 2024, according to the CBI. Meanwhile, California saw similarly rapid clean economic growth, with three times more clean energy jobs being created than jobs created elsewhere in the state's economy.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said, 'This government's clean energy mission is about taking back control of our energy to cut bills, create jobs, and tackle the climate crisis. Strong international partnerships like today's announcement with the State of California strengthens opportunities for UK businesses and secures investment for our country.'
Governor Gavin Newsom added, 'California is the best place in America to invest in a clean economy because we set clear goals and we deliver. Today, we deepened our partnership with the United Kingdom on climate action and welcomed nearly a billion dollars in clean tech investment from Octopus Energy. California will continue showing the world how we can turn innovation and ambition into climate action.'
Nick Chaset, CEO at Octopus Energy US, said, 'As a British tech business and investor growing in the US, this MoU opens up opportunities to bring our smart technology to California, cutting energy bills and improving the customer experience. We are already delivering that through our work with Southern California Edison, where the Octopus Shift app enables EVs and home batteries to support the grid and give customers more control over when and how they use energy.'
He added that this agreement gives investors like Octopus greater confidence to bring more of its proven technology to the state, like Octopus Electroverse. Already the world's largest public charging platform, it is live across 1.3 million chargers in 50 countries.
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