Keir Starmer: Energy projects to boost west Wales economy

The Prime Minister and Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan visited a wind farm in Pencader today (Tuesday, August 20) to promote the creation of Great British Energy, a publicly owned energy company formed with the goal of creating jobs, improving skills and making Britain an eco-friendly superpower.

Great British Energy will be backed by £8.3bn of taxpayer money over the course of the next Parliament, while the government hopes it will attract up to £60bn of private investment to help Britain and Wales deliver a green energy revolution.

The Prime Minister has joined forces with First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan to create a publicly-owned energy company (Image: Ben Birchall)

As part of the Great British Energy project, the Welsh government is working with The Crown Estate to unlock 1000 square kilometres of seabed, resulting in new windfarms which can produce 4.5 gigawatts of electric energy.

The Crown Estate claims this could generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of every home in Wales three times over.

Furthermore, the new windfarms could create over 5,000 new jobs in construction and deliver a £1.4 billion boost to the Welsh economy.

The publicly owned energy company will create more jobs. (Image: Ben Birchall)

Sir Keir Starmer visited a wind farm in Pencader to discuss the project. (Image: Ben Birchall)
Sir Keir said: "It is really important that we speak for rural communities. We need to have as much to say about rural communities as we do about urban communities.

“We need to make sure that whether it’s in the transition in energy or whether it’s rebuilding and kindling the economy, generally, that growth in the economy, the increase in jobs are felt everywhere, including rural communities.

“That’s why projects like this and there will be similar projects across different parts of Wales, are so important. Because it’s about good well-paid skilled jobs in the places where communities are already are, rural communities in particular."

The Prime Minister wants to support rural communities. (Image: Ben Birchall)

Sir Keir Starmer stated there will be similar clean energy projects undertaken across Wales. (Image: Ben Birchall)

The Welsh government is working with The Crown Estate to unlock 1000 km squared of seabed. (Image: Ben Birchall) The collaboration between the Prime and First Ministers sparks the beginning of a new partnership focused on delivering clean energy investment across Wales.

Sir Keir continued: “We’ve got a better chance of turbo charging the economy but we are absolutely determined, the First Minister and I, that will be helping all communities, not just in some communities and that’s why we’ve got a real focus on rural communities.”

The project would result in new windfarms producing 4.5 gigawatts of electric energy. (Image: Ben Birchall)

The Prime Minister and First Minister of Wales are working in partnership for the first time in 14 years. (Image: Ben Birchall)The new windfarms could create over 5,000 new jobs in construction. (Image: Ben Birchall)

The project comes after Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru – a company owned by the Welsh Government, was built from scratch 12 months ago.

It is already on course to produce one gigawatt of clean energy by 2040, powering a million homes in Wales and reducing long-term bills.

The Prime Minister wants to build on this success by putting an end to higher energy bills and deliver clean energy by 2030.

The cost-of-living crisis has caused many people in Wales to suffer, due to the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels.