The UK Prime Minister and Welsh First Minister will supercharge efforts to make Britain a clean energy superpower today.
Efforts to make Britain a clean energy superpower will include investing in homegrown energy to grow the economy, create jobs, boost skills, and strengthen energy independence.
The Prime Minister and First Minister will visit a wind farm in West Wales that received Welsh Government funding. In the pair’s first official visit since the First Minister’s appointment, they will pledge close cooperation to unleash the benefits of a publicly owned energy company.
Building on Great British energy plans
The Prime Minister will pledge to build on the Welsh Government’s work to establish a publicly owned energy company.
The UK government is seizing the economic opportunity to deliver Great British Energy, which will own and invest in clean energy projects in regions and nations across the UK.
As part of the reset in relationship with the Welsh Government, based on a genuine partnership of collaboration and respect, the two leaders are joining forces to deliver clean energy investment across Wales and the rest of the UK.
The Prime Minister will reiterate the Government’s commitment to ending an era of rocketing energy bills and price instability with a long-term plan to deliver clean power by 2030.
Great British Energy is part of the Government’s commitment to make Britain a clean energy superpower with clean power by 2030. This will boost the country’s energy independence so that families and businesses are never left that vulnerable again and kickstart economic growth.
Boosting the green economy in Wales
Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru – a company owned by the Welsh Government – was built from scratch in just 12 months and is already boosting Wales’s green economy and setting the UK on course for energy security.
This is on course to produce 1 GW of clean energy by 2040 – enough to power up to a million homes in Wales, helping reduce bills in the long term.
The Welsh Government is also already working with The Crown Estate to unlock 1,000 km2 of seabed. This will create brand new windfarms that have the capacity to produce up to 4.5 gigawatts of renewable electricity.
The Crown Estate estimates this could generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of every home in Wales three times over or host 1.4 million events at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium a year.
The Crown Estate also estimates that these planned windfarms could create more than 5,000 new construction jobs and deliver a £1.4bn boost to the economy.
First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, said: “Our publicly-owned renewable energy developer, Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, is a long-term sustainable investment that puts net zero and the communities of Wales at the heart of the energy transition.
“Harvesting wind and using it to produce power offers us, and the people of Wales, the ability to own the returns on what will be a significant investment.”
The future of Britain as a clean energy superpower
As one of several renewables sites across Wales, the site they are visiting is a key contributor to the sector’s role in providing clean energy to the nation, supporting thousands of jobs, and training the workforce of the future.
This government is wasting no time in introducing measures that will get the UK closer to energy independence. Already, the Energy Secretary has:
- Scrapped the ban on onshore wind development
- Took planning decisions on three solar farms within days of taking office
- Introduced legislation to build Great British Energy
- Signed a deal with The Crown Estate that will build more offshore wind and could leverage up to £60bn in investment
This is all ahead of plans to help protect consumers and introduce a Warm Homes Plan that will help homeowners insulate their houses cheaply – helping achieve clean power by 2030.
Taken together, these steps will help prevent consumers from being beholden to price spikes abroad while helping Britain become a clean energy superpower.
