The Prime Minister chaired a roundtable of industry leaders from the wind sector which was the third in a series of business roundtables focussed on energy security.
The meeting follows the recent Marine Energy Conference in North Wales hosted by Marine Energy Wales which showcased many of the businesses leading the offshore sector, together with number of supply chain partners.
It also follows recent news from RWE, Wales’ biggest power producer, who is partnering with the UK’s largest port operator, Associated British Ports (ABP) and UK’s largest energy port, the Port of Milford Haven, to investigate the scaling-up of port facilities in support of a pipeline of gigawatt-scale floating wind projects in the Celtic Sea.
He began by noting the huge natural potential for offshore wind as a secure and renewable energy source. Recent events, including Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, had shown how crucial it is that the UK builds a strong, home-grown renewable energy sector to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
While the UK was already a world leader in offshore wind, the Prime Minister told attendees that he had an insatiable desire to further maximise supply. This would support high-wage, high-skilled jobs, while ensuring the UK can deliver Net Zero by 2050 and meet its energy needs for the future.
Attendees discussed a range of issues relevant to the sector, including auctions, improving the resilience of the energy grid, reducing costs and exploring what more could be done to ensure that locally supported windfarms can be built in good time.
Energy Minister, Greg Hands, raised the work of Offshore Wind Acceleration Task Force which is currently leading a review in this area. He also set out the support that government is providing, including over £380 million for offshore wind technology.
The Prime Minister ended by reaffirming his commitment to ramp up the supply of wind power and thanked industry for their collaboration as part of this effort.
