The UK Government’s new Industrial Strategy sets out a bold, UK-wide mission to become a Clean Energy Superpower. It explicitly pledges to “double down on wind – onshore, offshore and floating offshore” and positions the UK’s “first and largest grid-connected floating offshore wind farm” as a marker of comparative advantage in advanced turbine technologies.
This top-level framing places floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea, and by association Wales’s broader marine energy ambitions, within one of eight flagship growth pillars of the new strategy.
From Mission to Metal: Converting Strategy to Delivery
To move from rhetoric to real-world delivery, the strategy establishes a £1 billion Clean Energy Supply Chain Fund to be administered by Great British Energy. £300 million of this is ring-fenced for offshore wind components such as blades, towers and subsea cables. Welsh manufacturers and port operators will be able to compete directly for this capital.
Deliverability is tackled on two interlinked fronts.
- Grid Connection Acceleration. A new Connections Accelerator Service, co-designed with the Welsh Government, will launch in late 2025. It aims to reserve future grid capacity and reduce connection delays, using new powers from the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Projects that create high-value jobs and deliver regional economic benefits will be prioritised.
- Energy Cost Reduction. From 2027, the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme will lower electricity costs by an estimated £35 to £40 per megawatt hour for manufacturers. This will support energy-intensive processes such as tower rolling and electrolyser assembly and help reduce a long-standing competitiveness gap with continental Europe.
A Distinct Welsh Emphasis
Place-based measures are clearly weighted toward Wales. The strategy commits:
- £445 million for rail upgrades between Wrexham and Merseyside, and between Cardiff and Bristol. The aim is to increase regional growth and improve cluster connectivity.
- Industrial Strategy Zone status for Wrexham and Flintshire, opening access to £160 million over ten years.
- Cluster Champion support for the Cardiff Capital Region, with additional backing from an expanded British Business Bank investment fund.
- At least £30 million from the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund for a Welsh innovation cluster.
Marine energy logistics receive further support through the recognition of ports as “foundational industries”. The strategy highlights up to £80 million from the National Wealth Fund that has been earmarked for the Future Port Talbot project. This funding is focused on enhancing heavy-lift and fabrication capacity, subject to due diligence.
What This Means for Welsh Marine Energy
- Policy alignment. Floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea is now part of a named national mission, likely improving visibility in allocation rounds and unlocking future funding.
- Capital access. Welsh fabricators can compete for the £1 billion supply chain fund. Port Talbot has a defined route to secure funding for infrastructure upgrades.
- Faster delivery. A co-designed Connections Accelerator gives Welsh projects early influence over grid planning, which is critical for timely deployment.
- Lower industrial energy costs. The new support scheme will help narrow the gap with European competitors, particularly in manufacturing.
- Improved connectivity. Rail investment and new industrial zones will ease logistics and permitting challenges across the marine energy supply chain.
One caveat is that the strategy is silent on wave and tidal stream technologies. These sectors remain dependent on innovation funding and the Contracts for Difference mechanism, neither of which are covered in detail here.
Nonetheless, this is the most comprehensive alignment of public finance, infrastructure investment and regulatory support for marine energy that Wales has seen in any UK industrial strategy to date.