Adam Price AM: ...We know the future of cars is electric, and one
of the leading companies in the field is Tesla. It's opened two
gigafactories in the United States. It's looking to open one in
China and one in Europe. So, why not in Wales? Elon
Musk has specifically said, in recent months, that, if GM
closes plants in the US, he'd be interested in taking them over.
Could that principle be applied here? Another major company in the
field is the Swedish company,...Request free trial
AM: ...We know
the future of cars is electric, and one of the leading companies
in the field is Tesla. It's opened two gigafactories in the
United States. It's looking to open one in China and one in
Europe. So, why not in Wales? Elon Musk has specifically said, in
recent months, that, if GM closes plants in the US, he'd be
interested in taking them over. Could that principle be applied
here? Another major company in the field is the Swedish company,
Northvolt, which is building a gigafactory producing battery
cells with the help of one of the biggest ever investments by the
EU's European fund for strategic investments and the European
Investment Bank. Nothvolt's CEO has said recently there could be
scope for as many as seven such gigafactories across Europe by
2025. Again, is there an opportunity here for us? First
Minister, I believe you're visiting Brussels tomorrow. Why not
ask the European Commission for the EFSI and the EIB, to which
we're still entitled to make an application because we're still
in the EU, to make a similar and, in many ways, timely investment
here in Wales?
(First
Minister of Wales):...We have a responsibility,
as said, to prepare for
whatever eventualities there may be, and bringing
different firms—the recent announcement of new jobs of
the sort that he described at Port Talbot through
Onyx—and other ideas, other companies that we have been
working with. There is a real responsibility, Llywydd, on
the UK Government to make sure that its industrial
strategy works for Wales and that they too put their
shoulder to the wheel to make sure that where there are
these different possibilities that will emerge and be
talked about over the next few weeks, that they too do
everything they can to make sure that the interest of
those workers are supported, promoted, and that real
practical assistance, money and effort that the UK
Government can make is made on their behalf...
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