Over 100 organisations and politicians have come collectively to again the transformational bid for a Celtic Freeport.
Supporters embrace world industrial giants and Welsh engineering and building companies, inexperienced vitality builders, decarbonisation teams and commerce associations, universities, faculties and native politicians.
On 24 November 2022, a public-private consortium lodged its bid for a Celtic Freeport with the UK and Welsh governments. Spanning 600 hectares of growth land throughout websites in Neath Port Talbot and Pembrokeshire, the bid units out a imaginative and prescient to ship an accelerated pathway for Wales’ web zero financial system. It’s also anticipated to help over 16,000 jobs and generate as much as £5.5 billion of recent funding.
The Celtic Freeport will speed up important inward funding in new manufacturing amenities to help the roll-out of floating offshore wind (FLOW) within the Celtic Sea, giving Wales world first-mover benefit on this new type of clear, dependable vitality. It is going to additionally present the spine for a greener future, with strengthened export and provide chain alternatives based mostly on the hydrogen financial system, sustainable fuels, carbon seize, cleaner metal and low-carbon logistics.
The Celtic Freeport bid covers the ports of Milford Haven and Port Talbot and consists of clear vitality developments and innovation belongings; gas terminals; an influence station; heavy, gentle and superior engineering; and the metal trade throughout south west Wales.
It is going to create a inexperienced funding hall, securing long-term commitments for main port infrastructure upgrades, abilities growth and innovation. The bid is rooted within the honest work ideas and enduring commerce union engagement.
The bid additionally proposes an bold abilities agenda by way of devoted inexperienced abilities programmes that may harness the skills-base, industrial belongings and schooling suppliers of as we speak, for the roles of tomorrow.
The Celtic Freeport Consortium contains Related British Ports (ABP), Neath Port Talbot Council, Pembrokeshire County Council and the Port of Milford Haven. Nevertheless, an enormous vary of organisations have been concerned within the growth of the proposals and spoken out in help of the bid.
“The help we’ve got acquired for the Celtic Freeport proposals has been phenomenal, each previous to submission and for the reason that bid was submitted,” explains Roger Maggs MBE, Chair of the Celtic Freeport consortium. “There was an actual urge for food from throughout a variety of trade sectors, in addition to from schooling and politicians in any respect ranges, to make sure Wales and the UK takes full benefit of the huge alternative that exists by way of the era of floating offshore wind vitality within the Celtic Sea. Reaching freeport standing would give the whole area an unlimited enhance, whether or not that’s in attaining our web zero targets, creating high-skilled jobs, attracting new funding, growing modern expertise, supporting future abilities or placing our manufacturing sector on a path to a sustainable future.”
“Approving the Celtic Freeport, for my part, is totally very important by way of levelling the financial system of Wales and initiatives west Wales as a hub of world commerce and funding and is prime in revitalising what is definitely a really sturdy manufacturing base in Wales. We now have a legacy of actually good manufacturing and a powerful abilities base to help that, however it is a ‘recreation changer’ that places us into a world buying and selling place. It is going to additionally assist foster innovation, create hyperlinks with academia and help the event of a expertise pool that may help, not solely the Celtic Freeport, however manufacturing for Wales sooner or later – each within the quick time period and the long run.” Heather Anstey-Myers, CEO, Manufacturing Wales
“The Celtic Freeport has the potential to create a brand new industrial ecosystem of like-minded organisations, making an attempt to drive real change and the renewables wants of south Wales and the UK might all be borne from the Celtic Sea. Our evaluation means that as much as 6 million tonnes of metal might be wanted throughout the Celtic Sea by 2045, which is a major alternative for us as a producer nevertheless it additionally implies that we’re going to want excessive expert, nicely paid jobs to help that.” Kamal Rajput, Enterprise Growth Supervisor, Tata Metal UK
“The Celtic Freeport is about seizing a once-in-a-lifetime alternative that may allow a brand new sort of vitality and financial system. As a enterprise based mostly in Pembroke, we’ve got seen loads change over current years – as soon as there have been 4 working refineries, now there’s just one, in addition to two fuel vegetation however within the emergence of the renewables sector we see nice alternatives and the ports play an enormous position in that. We now have a confirmed monitor document in Wales of growing expert personnel with sound work ethics and freeport standing will present alternatives for in depth employment in excessive worth jobs for folks of various ages, pursuing several types of careers.” Nick Revell, Managing Director, Ledwood Mechanical Engineering
“The Celtic Freeport is an important progress activator for this area, which is able to help within the growth of extremely expert jobs and grow to be a catalyst for change – and one that’s a very long time coming. We’ve been working carefully with employers to form the curriculum to suit the abilities that they want, each for now and the long run. Inexperienced abilities and inexperienced jobs are solely going to develop and the curriculum must help these, in addition to the broader decarbonisation agenda. The Celtic Freeport can be important in growing the broader provide chain and driving a technique that ensures we’ve got good, sustainable, native jobs that enhance the financial system for the long run era which might be coming after us.” Catherine Lewis, Performing Principal, NPTC Group of Faculties
“A Celtic Freeport would lock in actual advantages for Wales by creating the power to help the doubling of the UK’s constructed capability for floating wind energy by 2028. It has the potential to unlock world ambitions for floating wind, in direct alignment with the Welsh Authorities’s clear vitality targets. If the UK and Wales wish to safe their place within the floating wind future, each nationally and internationally, it’s crucial that the federal government takes the Celtic Freeport initiative ahead to the following stage.” Alex Gauntt, Provide Chain Director, Floventis.
Discover out extra concerning the Celtic Freeport right here: www.celticfreeport.wales
An outline of the Celtic Freeport supporters and companions might be discovered right here
