The North Wales Clean Energy Fund is one of the most significant projects within the North Wales Growth Deal’s Low Carbon Energy Programme. It has been designed to reduce carbon emissions, create jobs and attract investment – all with the goal of unlocking the region’s potential in clean energy.
For me, this is about much more than the projects it will support individually. It is about how the fund fits into the bigger picture of economic development across North Wales.
The fund has been years in the making. Long before I joined Ambition North Wales, colleagues and partners were shaping ideas that have now become the structure we have now launched. The timing is crucial. Global energy challenges and the UK’s climate commitments have intensified the need for local, sustainable solutions. The fund is a proactive response to that challenge and an opportunity to position North Wales as a leader in the low carbon energy sector.
The structure is deliberately broad. There are three sub-funds: a £5 million voluntary sector fund delivered with WCVA, a £15 million private sector loan fund delivered by UMi, and a £4.6 million reserve fund which we manage directly at Ambition North Wales. This design allows us to tailor support to different types of organisations and projects. It also gives us flexibility, so that if a project does not fit neatly into one category, there is still scope to support it through the reserve fund.
That flexibility is important. We want this fund to enable innovative approaches as well as tried and tested ones. Already we have seen strong interest across sectors, which tells me the fund was needed. From community-led renewables to businesses investing in energy efficiency, it has quickly become clear that there is an appetite to move forward. And as projects repay loans, that money will be recycled back into the fund. This creates a self-sustaining cycle of clean energy investment, which will continue to deliver benefits long after the first wave of projects.
The fund also supports our wider economic ambitions. North Wales has an abundance of natural resources and technical expertise, which means we are well placed to grow a strong clean energy sector. From tidal and wind to solar and storage, the opportunities are extensive. But just as important are the wider benefits. Clean energy projects support local supply chains, bring collaborations across communities and enterprises, and create the conditions for new infrastructure. They contribute to improved air quality and public health, while making our businesses more resilient in the face of rising energy costs.
In that sense, the fund is not only about energy. It is about building a stronger, greener economy for North Wales. The objectives are clear – job creation, lower emissions and increased investment – but the impact reaches further. It is about giving young people a reason to stay in the region, attracting innovation, and ensuring that North Wales is recognised as a leader in low carbon energy.
For Ambition North Wales, the Clean Energy Fund is one of the most tangible ways we are delivering on our mission to improve the economic, social and environmental well-being of the region. It sits alongside our wider work on connectivity, resilience and sustainability. Together, these are about future-proofing North Wales so that it is cohesive, competitive and confident in the years ahead.
What excites me most is seeing how projects that begin with this fund will grow into something larger – creating new jobs, attracting further investment, and sparking collaborations that go beyond energy. The ambition is for green, inclusive economic growth. That is what I look forward to, and what I believe the Clean Energy Fund will help us deliver.
Meghan talks about this and more in the Ambition North Wales podcast episode The North Wales Clean Energy Fund. Listen to the podcast here.
Find out more about the North Wales Clean Energy Fund here: https://ambitionnorth.wales/low-carbon-energy/clean-energy-fund/
