Young people interested in the region’s renewable energy future have visited Pembroke Port to see first-hand how major investment to modernise port infrastructure will enable South West Wales to take full advantage of floating offshore wind developments in the Celtic Sea, and other renewable energy and decarbonisation initiatives, expected to create thousands of new job opportunities.
The learners, who are enrolled on Pembrokeshire College’s innovative, industry-led Destination Renewables programme, were taken on a tour of the ongoing building works which are well underway to create a clean energy development platform including 17,000 sqm of laydown space, a supersize slipway and new workboat pontoons. The development is part of the £60m Pembroke Dock Marine project - a partnership between the Port of Milford Haven, Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, Marine Energy Wales and Celtic Sea Power which is funded by the UK Government and Welsh Government through the Swansea Bay City Deal.
The learners were also excited to hear about the potential for 16,000 new jobs, expected to be delivered by the Celtic Freeport bid by accelerating up to £5.5 billion of new investment and paving the way for new manufacturing and processing facilities to support the roll-out of floating offshore wind, hydrogen and sustainable fuel production, carbon capture, cleaner steel and low-carbon logistics. The proposed Celtic Freeport’s Haven tax site will seek to further enhance the capability of Pembroke Port.
The Pembrokeshire College ‘Destination Renewables’ programme, led by DP Energy and EDF Renewables in collaboration with industry delivery partners, is inspiring and educating the future green energy workforce. It is a two-year course that teaches students about renewable energy technologies including wave, tidal, solar, onshore and offshore wind, and associated project development processes.
Steve Edwards, Commercial Director at the Port of Milford Haven, said:
“I’m delighted that the Port is supporting the Destination Renewables programme as a delivery partner and proud to be doing our bit to ensure the region’s future workforce is ready to take advantage of the opportunities ahead.
“Investment in Pembroke Port today is creating the green opportunities for the future. Our multi-purpose, future-energy ready port facility will create and sustain thousands of jobs for generations to come. We’ll need lots of skilled people to support this new and exciting industry, from software developers and marine scientists, to design engineers, project managers and boat builders. Seeing how engaged and inspired the learners were today, is why we’re so passionate about making this development a success.”
Speaking after the port tour, Ethan Adams who is enrolled on the Destination Renewables programme alongside his L3 Mechanical Engineering course at Pembrokeshire College, commented
“It was fantastic to have the opportunity to see what plans the port has moving forward. The careers that will be available for young people in Pembrokeshire in the future are extremely appealing. It’s a great feeling knowing we will be able to live locally and have a successful career in the renewables sector without having to move away from home. The support we’ve had so far from local companies on the destination renewables programme has really helped us gain the knowledge needed to hopefully excel in these jobs in the future.”
Deputy Leader for Pembrokeshire County Council, Paul Miller, added:
“Our efforts, together with those of our partners at the Port of Milford Haven, in respect of the Pembroke Dock Marine City Deal project are all about securing the next generation of industrial activity around the haven, supporting local job creation as well as supporting the energy security of the UK and our national transition to net zero.
Ensuring local young people are the best placed they can be to secure employment in these new industries is critical to ensure we maximise the benefit of the significant investments we’re enabling in Pembrokeshire.”
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Photo caption: Future engineers visit Pembroke Port to learn about opportunities being unlocked by major port investment
Photographed: Destination Renewables learners with representatives from Pembrokeshire College: Steffan James, Destination Renewables course tutor; Wendy Weber, Head of the Build Environment; Benedict Dries-Jenkins, Pastoral Coach for Faculty of Engineering & Computing; along with representatives from the Port of Milford Haven: Anna Malloy; Stakeholder Engagement and Communications Manager; Steve Edwards, Commercial Director; Claire Lawrence, Project Manager; and Jason Hester, Senior Project Manager; and Rachel Moxey, Head of Economic Development at Pembrokeshire County Council.
You can find out more about the Celtic Freeport bid here: https://www.celticfreeport.wales
Notes to Editors
Port of Milford Haven
The Port of Milford Haven is the UK’s top energy port and Wales’ busiest port handling around 20% of Britain’s seaborne trade in oil and gas. It is widely recognised in the industry as the energy capital of the UK.
The Port, along with the cluster of energy-related businesses along the Waterway, is a key driver of economic activity in Pembrokeshire, attracting inward investment and supporting over 4,000 jobs
The Port of Milford Haven also owns and operates Pembroke Port and Milford Dock. Activities such as cargo handling, ferry operations, fish landing and cruise calls as well as a first class marina are spread across these two sites.
One of the most prominent on the West Coast, the Port is in the heart of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, the only Coastal National Park in Great Britain. It is marked as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and has many areas designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
The Port of Milford Haven is a trust port – an independent, commercially run organisation that has statutory responsibilities governed by its Acts, to maintain and improve navigation and the provision of Port and Harbour services and facilities. Additionally, the Port provides significant financial and in-kind support to a wide variety of local causes. All profits are retained within the business to fund these objectives.
For further information, visit www.mhpa.co.uk or contact:
Anna Malloy
Port of Milford Haven
01646 696100
anna.malloy@mhpa.co.uk
Destination Renewables:
Destination Renewables is a two-year Extended Project Qualification. The Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) is a level 3 (A-level standard) qualification offered by AQA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC – graded like an AS level it can provide additional UCAS points. It provides opportunities for learners to expand their knowledge, work independently and acquire new skills through a variety of activities which may include: guest speakers, workplace visits and practical experiences. The first cohort of 40 Destination Renewables students begin their studies in September 2022.
Staff from DP Energy and EDF Renewables will have a hands-on role in delivering the learning programme alongside other delivery partners, as well as providing mentoring opportunities to students in the second year of the course programme.
About EDF Renewables:
EDF Renewables UK and Ireland (www.edf-re.uk) is a subsidiary of EDF Group, one of the world’s largest low carbon electricity companies, and our investment and innovation is reducing costs for consumers and bringing significant benefits for communities.
With our operating portfolio of 38 renewable energy sites including battery, onshore and offshore wind (together totalling 1 GW) we are providing much needed affordable, low carbon electricity. We have an expanding portfolio with almost 5 GW of projects in planning and development, including wind, battery and solar PV.
About DP Energy:
DP Energy has a long history of renewable project development and is a global developer of wind, solar and ocean energy projects across the UK, Ireland, Australia and North America.
To date DP has delivered multiple constructed renewable energy projects totalling over 700MW across the countries in which it operates. It has a further 400MW consented and proceeding to the ‘ready to build’ phase and a development pipeline of some 2GW of onshore wind and 3GW+ offshore wind.
Whilst headquartered in Ireland, DP Energy has operated extensively in the UK since the 1990s and early 2000s to deliver large scale onshore wind projects principally across Scotland, including Hadyard Hill wind farm which at 130MW was one of the largest projects of its day.
As part of its overall expansion plans DP Energy has now opened a UK South Wales office staffed by an experienced development team. This team, in addition to delivering the Gwynt Glas Offshore Wind farm will be developing a portfolio of 100% sustainable energy projects in the UK across the renewable technology range.
Further information:
Lindsey.Southworth@edf-re.uk Head of External Affairs, EDF Renewables UK, 07813 230 379
Ffion.Wright@dpenergy.com Stakeholder and Communications Manager, DP Energy, 07890 636898