산업통상자원부(장관 안덕근) 최남호 2차관은 영국 에너지안보 탄소중립부 제레미 폭링턴(Jeremy Pocklington) 차관과 함께 한(韓)-영(英) 청정에너지 고위급 대화를 3.8일 서울에서 개최하였다. 이번 청정에너지 고위급 대화는 지난해 11월 말 양국 정상회담 계기 체결한 「韓-英 청정에너지 파트너십」 합의에 따른 후속 조치로 개최되었다.

  양국은 최근 지정학적 갈등, 기후 위기 등으로 인해 에너지 공급망이 불안정한 가운데 청정에너지를 중심으로 에너지 안보 및 탄소중립 가속화를 위한 양국 간 협력이 매우 중요하다는데 인식을 같이 하였다. 이를 위해, 양국은 ①원전산업 대화체를 중심으로 신규원전 협력방안 추진, ②핵심광물 실무회의 신설, ③대규모 해상풍력 확대를 위한 민관대화 추진, ④청정수소와 에너지기술개발 분야 협력 확대 방안, ⑤무탄소에너지를 통해 산업‧발전분야의 탈탄소화 방안에 대해 공조하기로 하였다. 또한, 양국은 G20에서의 협력과 COP28에서 합의한 청정에너지 확대 가속화 및 화석연료로부터의 전환을 이행할 필요성에 대해 논의하였다.

  최남호 2차관은 “우리나라는 청정에너지 제조기술 보유국인 만큼, 양국의 산업 발전과 글로벌 청정에너지 확대 과정에서 긴밀히 협력해 나가자”라고 언급하면서, “이번에 개최한 한-영 청정에너지 고위급 대화가 정례화됨으로써 정상회담 시 합의한‘글로벌 전략적 동반자 관계’로의 도약하는 발판이 되고, 향후 글로벌 탄소중립 대응 및 에너지 안보 분야에서 양국이 핵심 파트너로 거듭나는 계기가 될 것이다”라고 기대감을 표명했다.

The UK-ROK Clean Energy High-Level Meeting

      The UK-ROK Clean Energy High-Level meeting took place on March 8th in Seoul, with Namho Choe, Vice Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE), and Jeremy Pocklington, Permanent Secretary for the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero, leading the discussion. This meeting is a deliverable to the Clean Energy Partnership signed during President Yoon suk-yeol’s State Visit to London in late November last year,  meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to discuss our shared priorities. It marks a significant step towards a "global strategic partnership" to advance our respective efforts and common goals to address energy security and the climate crisis.

      Vice Minister Choe and Permanent Secretary Pocklington have highlighted the immense potential of bilateral cooperation to accelerate the global transition to net zero, with a strong emphasis on clean energy. This collaboration is crucial in light of the recent geopolitical conflicts and the climate crisis, which have disrupted the energy supply chain and created an urgent need for sustainable solutions. To this end, both countries have agreed to actively use the UK-ROK Nuclear Energy Industry dialogue, establish a Critical Minerals Working Group, continue the Offshore Wind Industry Dialogue, expand cooperation in clean hydrogen and energy technology development, and further cooperation in the field of carbon-free energy to further decarbonization efforts in the industrial and power generation sectors. The UK and ROK discussed collaboration in the G20 and the need to agree on a delivery plan to implement the COP28 Global Stocktake commitments to transition away from fossil fuels and accelerate the clean energy transition.

      “Korea boasts commendable expertise in the field of clean energy manufacturing, and we are eager to work together towards advancing our respective industries and promoting clean energy worldwide,”said Vice Minister Choe. “The UK-ROK Clean Energy High-Level meeting marks an important milestone towards the establishment of a global strategic partnership, as agreed upon in the Downing Street Accord. These collaborative efforts will also position both nations as significant players in the global response to carbon neutrality and energy security.”

“The 2023 State Visit of President Yoon Suk-yeol was a landmark moment for UK-ROK collaboration”, said Permanent Secretary Jeremy Pocklington.  “Cooperation to tackle the climate crisis and to enhance energy security is to the fore of our global strategic partnership.  During the UK-RoK Clean Energy High-Level meeting, I was pleased to agree further cooperation, accelerating joint efforts on nuclear, offshore wind, critical minerals and a number of other sectors. This demonstrates our shared determination to deliver the COP28 outcomes on transitioning away from fossil fuels, tripling nuclear energy capacity and tripling renewables capacity globally by 2030.”said Permanent Secretary Jeremy Pocklington.