Sir Keir Starmer: Key role for Wales in making Britain energy superpower

Sir Keir Starmer said his hopes of making Britain an “energy superpower” will include a key role for Wales, ahead of a wind farm visit with the new First Minister.

The Prime Minister and Eluned Morgan will travel to a site in West Wales on Tuesday as part of their first official visit together.

The pair, who held talks on Monday in Cardiff, are expected to pledge to work closely on realising the benefits of a publicly-owned energy company.

The Welsh Government previously launched Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, while the UK Government is developing Great British Energy.

GB Energy, which has been allocated £8.3 billion of funding over the next five years, has been tasked with developing future offshore wind projects as part of moves to hasten the UK’s transition to renewable energy.

Speeding up development

The company is expected to lead energy projects through development stages to speed up the process, before returning them to private ownership but maintaining a stake.

Meanwhile, Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru was established to accelerate the development of renewable energy projects, particularly onshore wind, on the wider Welsh public estate.

Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said the onshore wind farm in Carmarthenshire that Sir Keir will visit on Tuesday is an example of Welsh energy projects that directly reward local communities with discounts to their bills.

She told GB News: “We haven’t had a ban on onshore wind in Wales, where there had been in England under the previous Conservative government.

“We have lifted the ban in England, and today’s visit is about showing how two Labour governments – one in Wales, one in Westminster – can work together to deliver that energy security, to bring down bills and to create new jobs through green energy.”

Sir Keir said before the visit: “We have inherited an incoherent energy policy that has left homes up and down the country vulnerable to rocketing energy bills.

“But the Welsh Government has made important strides that we can now build on, and I am determined that Wales is at the very heart of our mission to make Britain an energy superpower, with renewables powering homes right across the country.

“Great British Energy will put the whole of the United Kingdom on the right path to deliver the independence we need, while helping to deliver lower bills for households and businesses and creating the next generation of skilled jobs.”

Sir Keir last month said it will “take time” to reap the benefits of clean power initiatives but stood by a claim that the UK Government’s plans will eventually drive down household bills by £300 a year.

Conservative shadow energy secretary Claire Coutinho previously said the public have been “sold a lie” by Labour that their energy bills will drop by that amount.

Baroness Morgan, the third leader of Wales this year, said: “Our publicly-owned renewable energy developer, Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, is a long-term sustainable investment that puts net zero and the communities of Wales at the heart of the energy transition.

“While the previous UK government focused on fracking and fossil fuels – opposed by most communities and incompatible with our international obligations – we took positive action to ensure we deliver on our environmental commitments.

“Harvesting our wind and using it to produce power offers us, and the people of Wales, the ability to own the returns on what will be a significant investment.”

Lady Morgan was confirmed as leader of the Welsh Labour Party on July 24, but was officially sworn in as First Minister of Wales on August 6 after a vote in the Senedd.

She succeeded Vaughan Gething, who lasted fewer than 140 days as first minister, having presided over a turbulent period in office, beset by rows over donations and sacked ministers.