The Minister for the Environment was put on the spot this week by West Carmarthenshire Assembly Member Angela Burns (pictured) putting forward a series of questions to the Welsh Assembly Government with regard to local business opportunities in supplying the proposed wind turbine developments in the Bristol channel and the Irish sea.
Mrs Burns tried to ascertain what structures and support WAG had put in place, or was proposing to put in place, to support the many medium sized businesses in Wales that have the skills, ingenuity and products to supply the global developers RWE and Centrica who have won the offshore contracts.
“What structures have you put in place—yourself, or in conjunction with the Deputy First Minister—to maximise what is potentially a game-changing opportunity for Wales in terms of the arrays in the Bristol channel and the Irish sea?” Mrs Burns asked.
There were no concrete responses from the Environment Minister on how WAG could or would take a lead and drive forward with determination to help Wales Plc to win this new business. Mrs Burns has met with many businesses in West Wales that have a range of skills from pipefitting and mechanical engineering to ship building and contract employment and is of the view that all these businesses should be able to win contracts in the offshore turbine market but that they need the Government to put forward a team to bring the smaller companies together and help them identify their individual opportunities and then to build a national bid team for Wales.
“Local companies are trying to win new business from the proposed arrays and feel let down by the support from WAG” said Mrs Burns “These contracts will bring new money to Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire if secured locally rather than some consortium outside of Wales taking all the contract profits.
These large installations have historically not been provided by Welsh firms or even UK firms and that needs to stop. Cardiff Bay and Westminster both need to ensure that credible bids are put forward from local and national companies that can deliver the projects. The existing WAG mechanisms are in no way fit to support our Welsh businesses achieve this goal. I know the money and effort in takes to win contracts from global companies and a united effort from Wales would ensure that we have a chance at this amazing opportunity”.
