October 12, 2023

Highlighting Illinois’s Role as Clean Energy Leader, Duckworth Leads Official Visit to United Kingdom

 

[LONDON, U.K.] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is leading an official visit to the United Kingdom to meet with government and energy industry leaders, highlighting Illinois’s role as a clean energy leader in an effort to strengthen diplomatic ties and promote partnerships that could boost both Illinois’s and the UK’s economies. Duckworth emphasized Illinois’s strength and benefits for greater manufacturing investments, nuclear energy growth, scientific innovations and other clean energy issues. Duckworth’s visit to the UK follows an official visit to Romania, where she also shared Illinois’s diverse renewable energy production, expertise in nuclear energy and highlighted how American clean energy can help enhance regional energy security.

“Illinois is a world energy leader—we’re one of the highest ranked states in renewable energy production, and I want to ensure our partners across the globe know of Illinois’s strength,” Duckworth said. “Developing and growing a green energy economy is not only important for moving away from fossil fuels and working toward a clean energy future, but critical in helping our allies achieve energy security. If we want to cut our global emissions, it is critical that we partner with allies with shared energy goals to learn from each other and lead by example.”

Duckworth will participate in a wide range of meetings including:

  • Roundtable discussion with U.S. nuclear energy companies
  • UK Department of Energy Security and Net Zero 
  • Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office

Duckworth also met with Societatea National Nuclearelectica and the Romanian Minister of Energy the while in Bucharest.

Illinois is a diverse energy state and is a net energy exporter, ranked first among all Midwest states in cleaner energy capacity. Illinois is the nation’s largest producer of nuclear energy and fifth in the nation for wind energy capacity.

Duckworth is a proven leader on strengthening our relations with international partners while successfully securing significant international investments in Illinois. Earlier this year, Duckworth traveled to Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines and earlier this year, she led an official visit to Japan to meet with government, trade and economic leaders as well as corporate and business officials to highlight how Illinois is uniquely positioned for greater investment and increased exports with international partners. Following her last trip, Japan announced a regulatory change that will lead to an increase in imports from U.S. biofuel producers, supporting our farmers and growing Illinois’s economy. 

Last year, she also traveled to South Korea and Taiwan where she met with business, government and trade leaders, which helped lead to a joint venture between Illinois’s ADM and South Korea’s LG Chem, as well as a commitment from Taiwan to purchase an estimated $2.6 billion of our Illinois’s corn and soybeans. Duckworth also successfully included a modified version of her Strengthen Taiwan’s Security Act in last year’s NDAA to help Taiwan strengthen its military defenses.

-30-