6. Welsh Conservatives Debate: Offshore renewable energy

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:39 pm on 18 January 2023.

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Photo of Paul Davies Paul Davies Conservative 4:39, 18 January 2023

You wouldn't be surprised to hear me say that, yes, I would agree with you on that basis, because I'd like to see a Celtic free port, and, of course, I would also support your endeavours as well and your MP Virginia Crosbie's endeavours to make sure that there's a free port also in Holyhead. 

One of the important levers to get floating offshore wind into Wales is, of course, free ports, as I've just been discussing. Henrik Pedersen, the chief executive officer of Associated British Ports, which owns a number of other ports in Wales and around the UK, recently made it clear to the Welsh Affairs Committee that either we bring these developments into Wales, or it's done in Spain, France or elsewhere, and it's really as simple as that. If we don't take and nurture these developments, then other countries will. Of course, it would be remiss of me not to again mention the Celtic free port bid, given that the bid would help secure economic benefits in my constituency, and right along the south Wales coast. I appreciate, as has already been mentioned, that there are other free port bids that have also been submitted. Nevertheless, if successful, the Celtic free port would naturally support the regeneration of communities in west Wales by attracting new businesses, jobs and investment, which would in turn boost the Welsh economy. Given the transformational impact it would have in south-west Wales, I sincerely hope we'll hear some positive news on this front in the very near future.

Members here are aware of the positive benefits of floating offshore wind and, moving forward, we need to increase grid capacity and make new grid connections available too. We know that the planning and consenting processes are already quite slow and can be difficult, and we also cannot underestimate the scale of the task facing Natural Resources Wales and the need for it to be fully resourced. Evidence from Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners to the Welsh Affairs Committee noted the ongoing discussion between the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales to resolve resourcing issues, particularly for their offshore renewable energy programme. They said that it was critical for consenting bodies to be appropriately resourced to be able to meet the demands that the acceleration of floating offshore wind projects will have, and they are absolutely right. Indeed, in the discussions that I've had with developers only this week, the overwhelming message was that the consenting processes in Wales are far too long and that could be really detrimental to the development of projects. And so, while this is an exciting time for the floating offshore wind sector, there are still significant challenges too. Wales really does have an opportunity to be a global leader in offshore renewable energy, and whilst today I've focused on floating offshore wind, we know there are also opportunities in terms of tidal power and other renewable energy sources as well. So, I urge Members to support this motion.