The Siemens offshore substation, which is the latest milestone for the Welsh offshore wind farm, Gwynt y Mor, arrived by sea from Belfast this week. This month also saw the start of the laying of foundations and subsea cables for the first of the 160 wind turbines, which will make up the 576MW offshore wind farm. When completed, the wind farm will generate green energy for almost a third of the homes in Wales.
Said Pippa Bartolotti, Leader of the Welsh Greens: “The announcement from Siemens that the last phase of infrastructure in the Gwynt y Mor offshore wind farm is being put in place, vindicates our long held policy that wind power is a practical solution for much of our energy needs.”
The Green Party in Wales has been campaigning for renewable energy sources to power our homes and industries for decades. They have been putting pressure on senior ministers to end ongoing uncertainty over support arrangements for green power technologies as industry has hesitated to invest because of mixed messages and incoherent policy.
Pippa Bartolotti went on to say: ““We are over the moon at this announcement. This is a huge step forward in the reduction of CO2 by Welsh homes, and a massive confirmation in our belief that green energy is possible, preferable and achievable.”
“I look forward to the day when all our energy can be sourced from sustainable industries. Wind power is just the start. With more investment in wave and solar, more money invested in innovation, research and design, and a clear lead from government that these industries are the source of good quality and sustainable jobs for the future, Wales can be the prosperous zero carbon nation it has long aspired to be.”
Gwynt y Mor’s construction so far has already supported hundreds of design, engineering and construction jobs in Wales, the northwest of England and Northern Ireland, and generated over £300m for the UK economy.
The IPCC has stated that we have a window of roughly 10 years to mitigate the effects of climate change.