Two events in quick succession have offered a useful perspective on how closely national and Welsh conversations about investment and infrastructure delivery are becoming aligned.
In May I spent several days at UKREiiF speaking with investors, developers, local authorities and infrastructure leaders from across the UK. Then, that same week, I was back in Cardiff at the CBI Wales lunch, where the new Cabinet Minister for Energy, Adam Price MS, set out early priorities for the new Welsh Government. Different audiences, different settings – but many of the same questions. At UKREiiF, there was no shortage of ambition. What came through most strongly was the focus on what enables delivery: clarity, confidence and the practical basics needed to turn strategy into reality.
From my experience across development and infrastructure, planning and consents have traditionally been one of the points where progress either accelerates or stalls. That remains true. But increasingly, the challenge is now compounded. Alongside planning, grid capacity – and the ability to deliver grid infrastructure at pace – is becoming a major constraint in its own right. In my first few months at Green GEN Cymru, that “double challenge” of securing consent and delivering grid has become very clear.
That context explains why grid infrastructure featured so prominently in conversations throughout the week. The growing presence and interest in data centres, alongside wider discussion about AI and advanced manufacturing, brought grid capacity into much sharper focus. These are not niche developments; they are major economic assets with significant power requirements. Alongside housing and transport, they reinforce a simple reality: access to reliable, timely grid infrastructure is now increasingly shaping where investments happen and where growth can occur.
Infrastructure should not be created as something that follows growth after the fact. In reality, “good infrastructure” shapes where growth can happen at all. Good planning means anticipating need early and putting the right infrastructure in place of demand — allowing development to happen responsibly, with confidence, and with the benefits felt locally as well as nationally.
That was why the Cabinet Minister’s remarks at the CBI event felt particularly resonant. His emphasis on confidence, long term thinking and the interconnected nature of the economy reflected much of what I’d been hearing throughout the week. Ambition matters, but ambition alone does not deliver projects. Progress happens when government, infrastructure providers, investors, and communities can all see a credible route from policy to delivery.
For Wales, this feels like a moment of opportunity. We have the natural resources, industrial heritage and expertise to play a major role in the energy transition. We also have the opportunity to approach that transition in a distinctly Welsh way: combining pace with responsibility, and national priorities with meaningful attention to local impact.
Grid infrastructure sits at the centre of that challenge.
In Wales, discussion often focuses – rightly – on connecting generation to the transmission and distribution network. Unlocking those connections is essential for clean power, supply chain growth and rural economic opportunity. But the implications are much wider than energy projects alone. Grid capacity increasingly influences where businesses invest, where homes can be built, and how resilient communities and regions will be in the face of future economic and environment pressures.
That is why planning policy and political leadership matter so much.
A clear national policy framework should establish the strategic need for grid infrastructure upfront, allowing project examinations to focus on the issues that matter most: design quality, environmental effects, community impacts, and how those impacts are mitigated. That does not weaken scrutiny – it makes it more meaningful by creating clarity around the need case while ensuring rigorous examination of how projects are delivered.
Consenting is sometimes portrayed simply as an obstacle to overcome. In practice, it is where trust is built, concerns are tested, and projects are improved before they move forward. That process takes time, capability and care – but it is also what underpins long-term confidence in infrastructure delivery.
I am genuinely excited to be part of this at Green GEN Cymru. As a Welsh business, with projects moving through the pipeline, we are focused on delivering the grid infrastructure that enables generation investment, supports rural economic growth, and helps build a more resilient energy system for Wales.
So, my plea to the new Welsh Government is simple:
Wales has the opportunity to lead – not only in energy generation, but in how infrastructure is planned, consented and delivered responsibly. But delivery will not happen through ambition alone. Businesses are ready to invest, communities want clarity, and projects are waiting to move forward. The next step is clear policy direction that gives everyone the confidence to act.
