The MP for Ynys Môn Virginia Crosbie visited Mona Lifting’s HQ at Llangefni on Friday along with the project team from Busnes@LlandrilloMenai’s Green Digital Academy to learn more about the company’s new £50,000 investment in Photovoltaic (PV) solar power.
The Green Digital Academy, funded through the UK Government’s Community Renewal Fund (UKCRF), works closely with SMEs to provide an evaluation report and consultancy support and advice to help them adapt and reduce their carbon footprint.
Mona Group was amongst the first to benefit from the project which has enabled companies to work with an energy and sustainability consultant, each consultation resulting in a ‘road map towards net zero’.
Gethin Rees Jones, Operations Director at Mona Group, explains: “This project provided us with a thorough analysis of our operations. Our energy and sustainability consultant helped us understand which parts of the business we need to focus on as we strive to minimise the company’s carbon footprint.
“As a company we had contemplated installing solar PV previously but the support and knowledge that Green Digital gave us has allowed us to analyse the data and gain an understanding of our current carbon footprint, which then influenced our decision to commit to the investment.
“With the help of the project we are now planning for further investments. Future developments include EV charging points, diversifying the fleet to include electric vehicles and working with Anglesey County Council to install further renewable technologies to complement solar PV.”
Speaking at the event Virginia Crosbie commented: “It’s a real pleasure to visit Mona Group to see for myself the investment they’ve already made in renewables and learn more about their future investment plans.
“It is an organisation working effectively with me as I push forward my priorities to bring jobs and investment to our communities. This is also a great example of how UK Government money, through the UKCRF fund, is delivering real change here on Anglesey. Working together we can achieve a great deal and I thank Mona for inviting me.”
So far, the Green Digital Academy project has worked with 25 Anglesey businesses and a further 30 in Gwynedd. The project is ready to deliver more for Anglesey and Gwynedd and also extend the benefit to companies in North Wales through Shared Prosperity Funding
Project Manager Gary Jones commented: “Forward thinking businesses like Mona Group are a great example of how the Green Digital Academy has enabled them to plan for and invest in Net Zero. The academy’s decarbonisation plans equip businesses with an actionable and business relevant plan to get there.
“We are in the process of expanding the Green Digital Academy Project with a hope to secure UK Government funding through the Shared Prosperity Fund with the ambitious goal of supporting 100s more businesses across the whole of North Wales.”
Busnes@LlandrilloMenai is part of Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, and provides training and support specifically targeted to businesses. Through this project the aim is to help businesses to take realistic actions to meet their environmental objectives and increase their digital capability.
