As part of a new series by Business News Wales, focused on the ambitions and opportunities of the Celtic freeport bid in South Wales, Carwyn Jones spoke with 17-year-old Maddie Pritchard, Deputy Youth Mayor for Neath Port Talbot, soon to become the Youth Mayor in March, as well as member of the Youth Council.
Celtic Freeport Bid – An Opportunity for Future Generations from Business News Wales on Vimeo.
Speaking about her passion for representing her peers, her community and providing a voice for the future generations in her area, Maddie shares her views on the benefits that the Celtic freeport will bring to the region.
With more encouragement to bring awareness to young people, to be educated on the Freeport benefits, Maddie believes it will create a real understanding around the relevance and value that of having a freeport, creating well paid, skilled jobs that will retain future talent here in Wales.
To quote Maddie on why younger people should take an interest in the Freeport; ‘the future of our planet is in our hands and we’ll be the ones to see all of these effects that climate change will have on this planet’.
About the Celtic Freeport Bid
Celtic Freeport is an exciting project that will unlock the widest possible opportunities for Wales by accelerating innovation and encouraging significant investment, while fast-tracking modern skills for new green industries and national decarbonisation.
With development sites throughout Neath Port Talbot and Pembrokeshire, the Celtic Freeport will:
- Support 16,000 new green jobs
- Generate £5.5bn of new investment
- Accelerate the roll-out of floating offshore wind and the hydrogen economy
Background
In September 2022, the Welsh and UK governments invited proposals for a freeport in Wales.
The closing date for bids was 24 November 2022, with the winning bid expected to be announced in early February.
The Celtic Freeport bid was lodged on behalf of a public-private consortium whose partners include Associated British Ports (ABP), Neath Port Talbot Council, Pembrokeshire County Council and the Port of Milford Haven.
