The Welsh Government has appointed industry experts to its Renewable Energy Developer (RED) Programme, responsible for delivering environmental assessments for several significant renewable energy projects across Wales.
The RED Programme will develop wind projects on publicly owned land, supporting the Welsh Government's commitment to renewable generation delivering tangible benefits to Wales, leading the way in the UK in having a publicly owned renewables developer.
Experts from WSP, Mott MacDonald, LUC, Temple, Dulas, JCTR and Axis will work closely over the next four years to support the identification and delivery of the projects, providing several key services across environment, transport, planning and heritage specialisms.
The focus is on securing the required environment and planning consent orders to implement energy projects, while advising on the wider planning, transport, ecology, forestry, cultural heritage and social value elements associated with the schemes.
Delivering social value is another important element of the RED Programme which has community and environmental values at its heart, creating jobs and economic value by working with local businesses and suppliers.
Julie James, Minister for Climate Change, said: “I am pleased to announce that we have appointed experts from across the industry to oversee projects by Wales’ publicly owned renewable energy developer company. Their expertise will help deliver our ambitious target to generate over a gigawatt of locally owned energy generation by 2030, and our manifesto commitment to generate at least an additional 100 MW by 2026. I thank all of our new framework members for showing their commitment to their role and look forward to seeing their work in action.”
Mark Hurley, Managing Director for Water, Energy, Earth & Environment at WSP, said: "We’re thrilled to be supporting the Welsh Government's commitment to achieve net zero by delivering clean energy projects. The key to decarbonising the UK's energy supply lies in increasing the capacity of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power. WSP is excited to collaborate with our partners to turn this ambition into a reality for the people of Wales."
Martin Phillips, Technical Director at Mott MacDonald said: "This is an exciting and groundbreaking project. I’m beyond pleased that Mott MacDonald are part of a project looking to deliver renewable energy in Wales, with a core focus on doing the right thing for the environment and the people that live in Wales. A great step forward in line with the Future Generations (Wales) Act.”
Sarah Young, Director of Planning at LUC, said: "We're proud to be working alongside WSP, Mott MacDonald and the other consortium members on supporting the Welsh Government’s ambitious renewable energy projects. For almost 60 years, LUC has been at the forefront of addressing the climate crisis through our work and expertise in environmental planning. The RED Programme is a tremendous opportunity for us to make a difference.”
Simon Butler, Senior Director for Temple Group Ltd, said: "Temple is delighted to be working on this strategically important project which will help the Welsh Government and people of Wales secure a long-term future for renewable energy.”
Andy Skipton-Carter, Head of Consultancy at Dulas, said: "With over 40 years’ experience of delivering successful renewable energy projects in Wales, we are delighted to be a part of the RED Programme and supporting the Welsh Government in meeting its renewable energy commitments.”
Bex Chiazzese, Founder and Director at JCTR Ltd., said: “JCTR Ltd is delighted to continue supporting onshore renewables in Wales through applying our wide-ranging expertise, care and local knowledge to secure consents alongside our partners.”
Andrew Russell, Technical Director at Axis, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to help the Welsh Government make a significant contribution towards achieving their Net Zero commitments, we’re delighted to be part of this experienced and talented team."
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This press release is available in both English and Welsh.
