Oklahoma, UK Form Clean Energy Pact
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Oklahoma and Britain have formed a bilateral agreement to address trade barriers, increase investment and enhance business cooperation in zero-emission vehicles, agriculture and alternative energy through carbon capture, use and storage.
Gov. J. Kevin Stitt signed a memorandum of understanding April 18 with Nigel Huddleston, U.K. international trade minister, prioritizing greater trade with economic development and “a shared focus on reliable and affordable energy.”
Stitt noted at a signing ceremony in the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., “Both the United Kingdom and Oklahoma share the same vision for providing reliable, affordable energy for our citizens and there is a lot to learn from each other, whether that’s on carbon capture or hydrogen development.”
The agreement calls for Oklahoma and Britain to focus and cooperate on energy such as hydrogen, clean vehicles and negative carbon technologies such as direct air capture (DAC) which captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for permanent storage in deep geological formations that can be combined with hydrogen to make synthetic fuels.
In December, the U.S. Department of Energy launched $3.7 billion in funding for four programs to “kick-start” a national carbon dioxide removal industry including two DAC efforts and a carbon utilization effort. The funds are available to states and local governments seeking “to procure and use products developed from captured carbon emissions.”
NEWS: today the UK will sign a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation and trade relations with the US state of Oklahoma 🇬🇧🇺🇸
This will mean more opportunities for businesses on both sides of the Atlantic👏
Read more: https://t.co/0X22bMhJB6 pic.twitter.com/7IsuelX0A2 — Department for Business and Trade (@biztradegovuk) April 18, 2023
Huddleston welcomed the agreement with “the great state of Oklahoma” as an important step in strengthening mutual commercial and economic ties. “With its focus on renewable energy, carbon capture utilization and storage, as well as other green technologies, and agriculture this agreement paves the way for a bright future of U.K.-Oklahoma relations,” he added.
Under terms of the agreement, U.K. officials will work with counterparts from the Oklahoma Trade and Economic Promotion Board and gather annually, with an inaugural meeting to take place in Oklahoma within six months.
Another area to expand cooperation is agriculture, including food, fiber crops such as cotton and industrial hemp.
According to the governor’s office, 10,000 Oklahomans are employed by British companies, Oklahoma exported nearly $150 million in goods to the U.K. and the U.K sent $217.47 million in goods to the state last year.
The U.K.’s agreement with Oklahoma is its fourth MOU with a state. Agreements have been entered into with Indiana, North Carolina and South Carolina. Discussions are taking place for future bilateral collaborations with Utah, Texas and California.
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