A new report has shown that the Welsh economy could be boosted to the tune of £2.3 billion and 2,000 new jobs created if plans to develop the country’s onshore wind industry come to fruition.
Commissioned by trade body RenewableUK Cymru and the Welsh Government, the report reveals that £2.3 billion of Gross Added Value could enter the Welsh economy between 2012 and 2050 if the Government meets its aim of producing 2,000MW of onshore wind by 2025. The 2,000 new jobs would involve constructing, operating, maintaining, decommissioning and repowering the many new onshore wind farms that needed to achieve this goal.
These figures would represent a huge leap forward for the onshore wind industry in Wales, which produced around £7.8 million between 2005 and 2011 and created 355 new jobs in the same period.
However, the report also points out that if current consenting rates for onshore wind don’t improve, the projected economic benefits could end up being much smaller – £900 million worth of Gross Added Value up to 2050 and fewer than 1,000 new job roles.
On a more positive note, onshore wind developers interviewed for the report said they wanted to make more use of Welsh suppliers during both construction and operational phases. The report concluded that around 35% of construction spending on new onshore wind projects could be expected to remain in Wales, along with 71% of expenditure on planning and development activities.
The report concludes by urging the Welsh Government to work with developers and local planning authorities to identify and overcome the various barriers that might stand in the way of the Welsh onshore industry meeting its full potential in the future.
Wilding says: ‘These potentially huge economic benefits are a compelling reason to keep developing the onshore wind energy industry in Wales – not forgetting the significant environmental benefits from replacing 2,000MW of “traditional” generation with clean, low carbon energy. Let’s hope the industry gets the support it needs to develop as planned.’
Source: RenewableUK
