US and UK Energy Secretaries Meet Amid Rift Over Green Subsidies

(Bloomberg) -- The top energy officials from the US and UK are set to meet Tuesday to discuss issues including energy security and the shift to renewables amid trans-Atlantic tension over green subsidies.

US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm will join her UK counterpart, Grant Shapps, in London for a strategic dialogue between the two nations. They’re seeking to show a united front after Russia’s war in Ukraine stoked a historic supply crunch that upended Europe’s economy.

“The war has shown the UK, the US and countries the world over the need for ever greater energy independence, fueled by moves away from fossil fuels and towards home grown sources like renewables and nuclear,” Shapps said in a statement. 

Their meeting — the first between the two officials — follows a chorus of European criticism of the US Inflation Reduction Act, which provides billions of dollars in handouts and tax credits for clean energy programs. Shapps last month said the US subsidy plan is “dangerous” and risks pushing the world toward protectionism.

Both ministers are scheduled to meet with green innovators at a roundtable to discuss the move to renewables and other clean-energy sources, as well as the need to tackle climate change. 

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