Energy and Clean Growth cross-border opportunity

Addressing the North Wales and Mersey Dee Energy and Clean Growth Summit in Runcorn on Thursday the Cabinet Secretary will say:

“North Wales and the North West have a lot in common.  It is only right that we are considering cross-border approaches to address clean growth and decarbonisation.

“In Wales we are facing up to these challenges.  Our Economic Action Plan sets out how we will work with others to respond to the task ahead.  We will now address projects on how well they meet our call for action on decarbonisation, enter into an economic contract with investing companies on reducing the carbon footprint of their wider activities, and still aim to secure economic growth through the wider supply chain.

“The future prospects of the nuclear sector within our respective regions also depend on healthy cross border collaboration. Wylfa Newydd on Anglesey and the potential for small reactor technologies at Trawsfynydd provide opportunities for supply chain development and investment in our people across North Wales and North West England.   We continue to work closely with the Snowdonia Enterprise Zone Board, the UK Government and other stakeholders to explore the potential for Trawsfynydd to host first of a kind deployment of SMR technologies and associated developments.

“The Fit4Nuclear scheme is working with Welsh businesses to help them prepare for the potential opportunities, and our skills programmes are evaluating how, working with Horizon and the local education authorities, we can make sure local people are in a position to take up the wide variety of roles that will be available.

“There is a great deal we can achieve to bring lasting benefit to our combined communities.”