GUEST COLUMN:
Ian Mabbett
Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor for Research Culture
Swansea University
I am already thinking about the decommissioning of floating offshore wind infrastructure in the Celtic Sea, even though the first large-scale projects have yet to be installed.
That may appear premature, but it reflects the scale and lifespan of the opportunity facing South West Wales. Floating offshore wind should not be approached as a short construction programme or a collection of contracts. It could create decades of activity across design, manufacturing, installation, maintenance, materials recovery and eventual decommissioning.
Planning for that full lifecycle now gives the region a better chance of building industries and expertise that endure.
The immediate question is how much of the supply chain can be captured locally. Ports, fabrication, engineering, digital services and specialist materials all offer routes into the sector, and South West Wales has relevant capability across industry and its universities.
Yet the turbines themselves are only part of the economic proposition. The more important long-term question is what the energy will enable.
When Swansea University was founded 126 years ago, the region’s economy was shaped by the availability of coal. That energy source supported copper and steel, while copper contributed to transatlantic communication and the electrification of the country.
The equivalent question for floating offshore wind is not simply how many homes the electricity could power. It is what new industrial, commercial and technological activity becomes possible when a region has access to large quantities of renewable energy.
Port Talbot already has a major industrial base that needs to decarbonise. Renewable electricity could support that transition while strengthening the case for new investment in energy-intensive industries, advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies.
This is why the users of the energy, or off-takers, need to be central to the discussion. The destination of the power will influence where businesses invest, what infrastructure is required and how much economic value remains in the region.
Using some of that energy close to where it comes ashore could support industrial decarbonisation, new facilities and employment. Allowing the debate to stop at powering homes for workers near the projects would leave much of the wider opportunity unexplored.
South West Wales also has strengths in the circular use of materials. That becomes important both during the operational life of offshore infrastructure and when components eventually need to be repaired, replaced or dismantled.
Thinking about decommissioning now allows us to consider how materials might be recovered and reused, what specialist facilities will be required and how today’s supply-chain businesses can develop capabilities that remain relevant over several decades.
The region is already assembling many of the layers needed to support this economy. Port infrastructure, innovation facilities, advanced manufacturing, research programmes, digital connectivity and energy-efficient housing all contribute to a wider system.
These should not be viewed as unrelated infrastructure, innovation and economic development projects. Their strength lies in how they reinforce one another.
The value chain for floating offshore wind is vast, and no region will capture every element. South West Wales needs clarity about where it can lead and where its existing strengths give it a credible commercial advantage.
That includes ports and marine operations, but also materials, fabrication, digital monitoring, research and the industrial uses of the energy itself.
Supply-chain readiness remains essential. Companies need to know when and where opportunities will emerge, what standards they must meet and which partners could help them compete at the required scale.
The aim should be more ambitious than securing a small share of scattered contracts. South West Wales should develop capabilities that make it indispensable to the sector, including the expertise required long after the turbines first enter the water.
Floating offshore wind could reshape the region’s industrial economy. The greatest gains will come from looking beyond installation and asking what renewable energy, long-term maintenance and eventual decommissioning can allow South West Wales to build.
