According to Reuters article published on January 13, 2023, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Britain on Friday signed a memorandum of understanding to enhance strategic and technical cooperation in the energy sector.
The MoU was signed during a visit by Britain's Business and Energy Secretary, Grant Shapps, to Abu Dhabi.
Britain's Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy said the MoU would facilitate the sharing of technical knowledge, advice, skills and expertise, opening up new avenues for cooperation between the UAE and Britain on energy and climate, while boosting jobs and investment in the UK.
Shapps said the agreement "provides further evidence that not only are we are strengthening our energy security and lowering bills for consumers in the long term, we’re unlocking huge opportunities for investment in British expertise and jobs in the process," a statement sent by the department said.
"International cooperation on energy and climate with close partners like the UAE is vital and as they take centre stage as hosts of COP28 later this year, they will have our full support every step of the way,” Shapps added.
Britain hosted COP26 in 2021 in Glasgow and has been looking for ways to increase its energy security after it became a more urgent political issue in light of threats to long-term gas supplies across Europe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
UAE Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said the MoU is "greatly significant in light of the common interest of both countries as it helps them implement an energy policy that would provide low-carbon, safe and sustainable energy supplies at affordable prices," the UAE state news agency WAM reported.
The MoU also includes cooperation in peaceful nuclear energy, the field of low-carbon hydrogen, and bolstering collaboration in clean and renewable energy, WAM added.
