A new offshore wind project off the coast of North Wales will help deliver growth and jobs to the region, Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens has said.
The Awel y Môr project, which is being developed in the Irish Sea off the North Wales coast, was one of the projects to win a contract with the UK Government earlier in January.
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens was in the Port of Mostyn to meet project developers RWE and hear their plans for the Awel y Môr site.
Once fully constructed, the project will see up to 50 turbines built around 10km off the coast, west of the current Gwynt y Môr site.
Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:
“The development of the Awel y Môr project is huge news for North Wales and will deliver more well-paid, highly-skilled jobs and growth to the local area.
“The UK Government is working with investors to develop home-grown clean power which will secure our energy supply and bring down bills for good.
“Wales is at the centre of this and projects like Awel y Môr will help us achieve those goals.”
RWE’s Project Lead for Awel y Môr, Philippa Powell, said:
“Following our success in the most recent CfD auction round, it was a pleasure to be able to update the Secretary of State for Wales on our plans for Awel y Môr for the coming year, as we work towards a final investment decision.
“Capable of powering more than half the homes in Wales once fully realised, Awel y Môr represents a key part in RWE’s commitment to investing in renewable energy here in Wales, alongside the Pembroke Net Zero Centre, and our onshore wind and solar projects.”
The recent auction results secured a record capacity of 8.4GW of offshore wind which will generate enough clean electricity to power the equivalent of 12 million homes.
The auction will unlock around £22 billion in private investment, supporting around 7,000 jobs, bringing growth and jobs to all areas of the UK, including Wales, the UK Government said.
As well as Awel y Môr, the Erebus project in the Celtic Sea off Pembrokeshire was also successful in the auction.
