Five Welsh Freeport projects are set to receive a share of £3.3 million of grant funding which is designed to unlock progress on strategically important sites.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has awarded the Site Accelerator Grants to 16 projects across the UK’s network of Industrial Strategy Zones (ISZs).
Site Accelerator Grants are providing short-term, targeted funding to sites within ISZs to help them resolve the practical and technical challenges that must be addressed before major development can begin.
These include planning and design work, environmental and utilities assessments, feasibility studies and technical scoping, which can often stall otherwise viable sites for months or even years.
By supporting this preparatory groundwork, the grants are intended to accelerate progress and give local partners the tools they need to move high-potential sites into delivery more quickly.
The Welsh projects set to receive grant funding are:
- Celtic Freeport / Criterion Quay, Pembroke — £213,000 — Technical and commercial assessments to build a viable business case for floating offshore wind O&M infrastructure.
- Celtic Freeport / Talbot Wharf, Port Talbot — £265,000 — Land remediation works to improve the viability of development sites for future floating offshore wind supply chain occupiers.
- Celtic Freeport / Port Talbot Marine Infrastructure — £160,000 — Feasibility and design work for refurbishing two jetties to support future import/export activity.
- Anglesey Freeport / Highway Assessment — £162,000 (split with next project)— Assessment of highway upgrades needed to meet planning requirements and unlock long-vacant development sites.
- Anglesey Freeport / Grid Capacity Assessment — Comprehensive grid study across multiple tax sites to accelerate connections and support renewable energy integration.
The UK Government said that getting sites ready for investment was “complex and frequently underestimated”.
Luciana Ciubotariu, CEO of Celtic Freeport, said:
“Today marks a significant milestone for Pembroke Dock and Port Talbot. Three projects have secured UK Government funding to accelerate the Celtic Freeport’s vision, investing in new port infrastructure to support floating offshore wind and green transition developments on the horizon.”
Rt Hon Steve Reed MP, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government:
“From offshore wind manufacturing on the Humber to new clean energy facilities in Pembrokeshire, this backing for our freeports will generate real economic growth across the country. By tackling the barriers that developers face early on, we're helping to unlock significant private investment and create thousands of good jobs in clean energy and advanced manufacturing.”
Industrial Strategy Zones bring together Freeports and Investment Zones under a single, modernised framework and are central to delivering the UK Government’s modern Industrial Strategy. There are 22 Industrial Strategy Zones across the UK, with 17 of them now open.
All funding is expected to be spent within the 2025/26 financial year.
Investment has been agreed jointly with the Welsh Government.
