The Welsh Government minister for climate change has met with RWE Renewables apprentices and staff - who are supporting Wales’s energy transition, on a recent visit to a north Wales port.
Julie James visited the Port of Mostyn where she met the RWE UK Country Chair, Tom Glover, as well as Natalie Eddleston, Jamie Simmonds and Jacob Taylor, who are studying for a wind technician qualification at nearby Grŵp Llandrillo Menai. The students also support Rhyl Flats offshore wind farm alongside their studies.
RWE Renewables has developed a national apprenticeship hub at Coleg Llandrillo in Wales where it has already successfully trained over 30 apprentices. The successful apprenticeship programme was first launched in 2012 to generate skilled wind technicians who could meet the growing needs of the offshore wind sector. Trainee wind turbine technicians will be stationed at some of the largest offshore wind farms in the UK including Triton Knoll, off the coast of Lincolnshire which is currently under construction.
The minister was also able to take a closer look at the existing Gwynt y Môr wind farm, which the Port of Mostyn also services.
Natalie Eddleston, said: “All of us who are working on Rhyl Flats and the other wind farms serviced from the Port here in Mostyn understand the importance of the work we do, and we were more than happy to share a little of our experience in what we do to keep homes in Wales warm and bright.”
Climate Change Minister Julie James said: “It’s been great to spend the day with the team at RWE Renewables and to meet staff and apprentices helping to support Wales’ energy transition.
“Our vision is clear, we want Wales to generate renewable energy to at least fully meet our energy needs and utilise surplus generation to tackle the nature and climate emergencies – today has shown me that this is possible.
“In the lead up to COP26 we published Net Zero Wales which set out the actions we need to take in Wales to meet our second carbon budget (2021-2025) and lay the foundation for longer term emissions reduction as we respond to the climate and nature emergency.
“Net Zero Wales reaffirmed our commitment for a significant transformation of energy generation moving away from fossil fuels to sustainable renewable generation and it’s been great to spend some time seeing this in action at RWE.”
Tom Glover, RWE UK Country Chair, said: “It was a privilege to be able to take Julie James MS to see the Gwynt y Môr wind farm in operation. One of the biggest offshore wind farms in Europe when it was built, it now powers hundreds of thousands of Welsh homes.”
The offshore visit also included an introduction into RWE’s floating wind demonstration projects, including the opportunities in the Celtic Sea, which will become an important technology in helping to deliver the UK’s net zero ambitions.
Tom continued, “RWE is committed to working in partnership with Welsh Government as the country looks to meet all of our electricity needs with renewables by 2035, Gwynt y Môr and its sister project Awel y Môr will both play a significant role in delivering this.”
RWE, one of the world’s leading renewables businesses, is developing Awel y Môr on behalf of itself and partners. Offshore wind is one of the UK’s biggest growth industries and the Awel y Môr scheme will help ensure north Wales receives further investment in this area, bringing significant jobs and supply chain opportunities to the local economy.
During construction, Awel y Môr’s sister project, Gwynt y Môr Offshore Wind Farm, invested £90M into Welsh businesses.
RWE is #2 in the world for offshore wind and is driving the development of the largest offshore wind pipeline in the UK. It has committed to investing €50 billion gross through to 2030 to expand its powerful and green generation capacity to 50 gigawatts, with around €15 billion earmarked for the UK.
Pictures for media use are available from the RWE Media Centre.
Information on the development of the project can be found on the website www.awelymor.cymru.