A Chinese company SinoFortone Group is to invest £2bn in two eco-parks in north and south West Wales creating over 1,000 jobs building two biomass power stations on Anglesey and in Port Talbot. With support from the Chinese government the investment will create the largest biomass power project in the world.
The Heat from the plants will be recycled by hydroponic and aquaculture centres, producing prawns and vegetables and was announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping at the start of his UK visit.
The project will take three years and is major boost to the Welsh economy.
Speaking to the BBC all involved parties commented.
The Welsh government
We welcome any further progress on these two projects, which have the potential to create hundreds of jobs and provide a major boost for the local economy.
Anglesey Council
This investment will bring a tremendous boost to the economy of the area.
Sean McCormick, British Orthios Group
The core objective” of the project was to increase the UK biomass energy supply while reducing carbon emissions and increasing food supply.
John Idris Jones, director of the Anglesey Energy Island project
This is good news for the project and a step in the right direction. We look forward now to seeing some work on this site.
Ralph Windeatt, head of commercial at ABP South Wales
We are delighted to be working alongside Orthios and SinoFortone to deliver the Port Talbot eco-park, a combined power and food facility that will deliver much welcomed economic growth, jobs and training opportunities in the region.
SinoFortone Group chief executive Dr Peter Zhang
We see this as a ground-changing model that many countries will benefit from and are delighted to be teamed with the Orthios team.
According to the BBC as many as 2,500 jobs and £2.3bn investment has already been pledged for the island over the next 15 years, with renewable energy projects and hopes of a new nuclear plant at Wylfa.
