The UK Government invests £20m in the South Wales Industrial
Cluster, bringing together industry, academics and the public
sector to work towards Net Zero.
Secretary of State for Wales opened an event on Monday 28
March to showcase the work the South Wales Industrial Cluster
(SWIC) and welcome the creation of a new membership organisation,
Net Zero Industry Wales that will run SWIC.
SWIC has been awarded more than £20 million by the UK Government.
The South Wales region is the second largest industrial emitter
in the UK, releasing the equivalent of 16 million tonnes of
carbon dioxide per year across industry and energy generation. In
2019, the UK became one of the first countries in the world to
legislate that it will reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
If the UK is to hit this target, we need new ways of heating
homes, powering businesses and industry and fuelling transport.
This requires reducing emissions as far as possible using methods
such as energy efficiency, fuel switching and carbon capture
utilisation and storage as well as offsetting carbon dioxide by
other means, such as negative emissions technologies.
, Secretary of State for Wales,
said:
It’s fantastic to see this project moving forward with our
partners in Welsh Government, industry and academia coming
together to help deliver our Net Zero ambitions.
The UK Government has invested £21.5m pounds in this project, a
sign of just how vital this work is. There is a huge challenge
ahead of us and the plan to decarbonise a swathe of heavy
industry across south Wales is extremely ambitious.
But I’m confident that our Net Zero targets will be achieved, in
part by the establishment of projects like the South Wales
Industrial Cluster that utilise the innovation and collective
strength of business and industry.
Dr Chris Williams, Head of Industrial Decarbonisation at Industry
Wales, said:
This announcement today is the product of many years of hard work
by many Welsh companies, Governments, Universities and
like-minded people who realised that to achieve a restorative and
net zero economy in Wales we would have to work together to map
out what is needed from every sector in Wales.
What we are working on isn’t about changing the industrial make
up of Wales, it’s about innovating it, being ahead of the curve
when it comes to decarbonisation to ensure that we keep these
industries and jobs in Wales. It is also about examining
opportunities to create exciting new industries in Wales, as well
as revitalising and sustaining existing ones.
Wales has a long and rich industrial heritage, leading the way in
the manufacturing and engineering revolution. Now we plan to be a
leader of the green revolution and the creation of Net Zero
Industry Wales is certainly going to help us achieve that in a
more joined up and cohesive way.
For more information about the South Wales
Industrial Cluster
