The new Welsh Government Minister with responsibility for energy has said Wales is open for business when it comes to offshore wind and its potential to be a catalyst for economic growth and prosperity.
Adam Price, Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy, also said the new Welsh Government is keen to build an open and collaborative relationship with the offshore wind sector and other key partners such as UK Government and The Crown Estate.
This will help ensure Wales delivers on its refreshed economic mission to reduce Wales’ productivity gap with the UK by half within 10 years.
Speaking at the Global Offshore Wind 2026 conference, hosted by RenewableUK in partnership with the Global Wind Energy Council, the Minister said:
“I believe that the offshore wind sector has the potential to deliver high quality sustainable career opportunities for people in Wales, which directly aligns with our productivity mission and retaining value for Wales.
“The offshore wind sector has a key role to play into bringing about the regeneration of coastal communities in both north and south Wales.
“Our role is to remove the blockers faced by the sector – whether in planning, access to finance or infrastructure. We will focus on getting things done at pace and working collaboratively with the relevant organisations to make things happen.”
Wales currently has three operational offshore wind farms that generate 726MW of electricity, with the Minister today holding the first in a series of roundtables which will feed into the National Energy Strategy. Further roundtables will cover onshore and marine renewable technologies.
The Minister added:
“The Port of Mostyn is one of the biggest successes of Wales’s offshore wind sector with commercial-scale experience. It has contributed to the build-out of seven fixed bottom offshore wind projects and has created 240 highly skilled jobs for Wales.
“We also welcome the UK Government’s commitment of up to £64 million to support the development of Port Talbot as the first port in the Celtic Sea to deliver floating offshore wind.
“Working in close partnership with UK Government, the Crown Estate, NESO and Great British Energy will be critical to unlocking the barriers to investment and deliver the market conditions for this to work for Wales and the wider UK.”
Jessica Hooper, Director of RenewableUK Cymru, said:
“Offshore wind is Wales’ next big industrial opportunity – from ports to production lines, powering a new wave of Welsh industry that over the next decade could be worth almost £5 billion to Welsh businesses, and deliver more than 3,000 long-term, secure jobs.
“The new Plaid Cymru government has made it clear that renewable energy is central to Wales’ economic renewal and energy independence. To unlock this opportunity at the scale Wales deserves, we need decisive, coordinated action, investment in critical infrastructure, accelerated planning pathways, and a business environment that gives Welsh firms the confidence to grow, anchoring jobs and a long-term industrial legacy into communities.
“We look forward to working in partnership with the new Welsh government, and putting the right conditions in place so Wales can play to its strengths – and play a leading role in the next exciting chapter of offshore wind development.”
