A round table discussion at the Swansea University Bay Campus on February 17th will begin a major examination of how best to maximise the skills and training needed for the fast expanding green economy in South West Wales.
The UK Government’s vision of 24GW of huge floating offshore wind turbines powering Britain in the Celtic Sea by 2045 offers a once in a generation opportunity to establish a new green industry in South Wales. It’s a key plank in delivering the Welsh Government’s aim for Wales to meet 100% of its electricity needs from renewable sources by 2035.
For floating offshore wind (FLOW) alone, there is the opportunity for Wales to capture as much as possible of the economic benefits coming from manufacturing, maintenance and operations – estimated at £54 billion – with the creation of thousands of new jobs, something the Celtic Freeport bid hopes to realise if successful.
Wind power is stronger at sea than on land but it was only recently turbines could be installed in very deep or complex seabed locations with the advent of new, floating structures anchored to the seabed by vast flexible anchors, chains or steel cables.
In addition, other renewable energy and alternative fuel technologies like hydrogen production will support improved security of energy supply, ensuring Wales and the UK meet net zero targets, as well as creating transformational numbers of high-quality, long-term jobs for future generations in South West Wales and wider.
A successful Celtic Freeport bid would also see two expanded green energy ports (Port Talbot and Milford Haven) and up to £1.4bn in port infrastructure and factories to secure ‘first mover’ advantage in the global FLOW market .
The scale of the turbines needed to populate the Celtic Sea floating wind farm is colossal – imagine a structure nearly twice as tall as Wales’ tallest building, the Tower at Meridian Quay in Swansea, with three 155 metre long blades, leaving Port Talbot and Pembroke Port each at every week throughout the next decade!
Also there would be up to £0.5 billion of investment in improvements, green skills and innovation programmes, as key drivers of local economic growth and regeneration.
Topics under discussion at the Skills Round Table at the Bay Campus on February 17th will include:
- The steps we can take to ensure South West Wales maximises its skills and training base.
- How current skills challenges facing the renewable energy industry can be addressed in the short to medium term, including the development of targeted skills initiatives.
- The steps that need to be taken to bridge longer-term technical skills and training gaps in South West Wales.
The Chief Executive of Neath Port Talbot Council, Karen Jones, who will be welcoming delegates to the Skills Round Table event said: “To ensure South West Wales capitalises on these new green industries, it’s essential to equip our young people with the necessary skills and training.
“We also need to attract more skilled people at all levels into the renewable energy sector. This will take a collaborative effort by Welsh Government, Local Authorities, education providers, windfarm developers, port authorities and other participants in the supply chain.
“There is already a huge willingness to work together for the joint benefit of South West Wales and beyond. The opportunity of this discussion would be to cement this cooperative spirit and kick off further definite strands of work.”
MPs, Senedd Members, Directors of Education, HE and FE representatives and skills and training professionals are among those invited to the Bay Campus discussion.