I genuinely welcome this debate. The United Kingdom, as we’ve already heard, is among the world leaders with regard the potential of our renewable offshore energy sector. I’m sure that the word ‘potential’ will be mentioned several times in this debate, and Wales has the potential to be a giant in this sector. As things stand, the potential of this sector is being realised in only a handful of countries. In 2021, over 99.5 per cent of new offshore wind capacity was installed in just five countries, namely China, Denmark, Vietnam, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

We must remember, Dirprwy Lywydd, that the countries that gain a head start in this sector, and invest early, will be at an advantage in establishing supply chains and expertise in an industry that will, without a shadow of a doubt, grow and develop. The Global Wind Energy Council forecasts that there will be a 57-fold increase in international capacity by 2050. Experts expect an increase in America, South Korea and Taiwan, and by developing expertise here in Wales we could be part of that story. The potential is stratospheric in some ways. In the Celtic sea alone, the assessments of additional capacity stand at around 20 GW.

However, things must change before we can benefit from the opportunities that exist. The necessary infrastructure isn’t here in Wales. We need to develop our ports to allow sufficient space, capacity and depth for FLOW platforms. The Welsh Government and Westminster Government must help developers, ports and relevant authorities to give them the confidence to invest.

The state of grid connectivity and storage in Wales is also a problem—it’s insufficient. We must tackle the problems that face our grid. Again, there’s a need to invest in this area, and this includes green hydrogen and more efficient cabling. Of course, this expansion will mean nothing for Wales unless we can benefit from it. We need Crown Estate powers to fulfil this potential, and I would reiterate my party’s stance that these powers should be devolved. Responsibility for the Crown Estate was devolved to Scotland in 2017, but the Treasury in Westminster retains these powers in Wales. Well, they still benefit from the powers, of course, and the royal family does as well.

Finally, we must enhance green skills. I know that important work is being done in this area; Climate Cymru is holding a round-table event titled ‘Good Green Jobs for All’ on 16 February, and it involves representatives from TUC Cymru, Tata Steel, Airbus and the Wales Development Bank, and several others. We need an open mind and ambition to ensure that the workforce can derive maximum benefit from these exciting opportunities. Wales needs to be in the vanguard on this. We've already heard from Janet Finch Saunders that we need to make sure that we keep an eye on the climate emergency and nature emergency in the context of this issue. We need to ensure that energy developments do not negatively impact biodiversity, so, of course, we must be reasonable and sensitive in deciding where these developments happen, and how they happen.

But, to conclude, Dirprwy Lywydd, people talk about the green goldrush that is happening off Wales’s shores, but until we have the required investment and powers, Wales will continue to be a bystander. Wales’s resources must benefit Wales’s people. We need far-reaching change to enable this to happen.