Latest news with #NetZeroIndustryWales
Business News Wales
4 days ago
- Business
- Business News Wales
Natural Resources Wales – Supporting Decarbonisation at Pace and Scale
At Natural Resources Wales (NRW), we are clear about our purpose and priorities. As Wales' environmental body, we recognise that to tackle the nature and climate emergencies effectively, we must focus on three core objectives: increasing biodiversity and reducing biodiversity loss, helping to adapt to climate change, where the decarbonisation agenda is absolutely central and reducing pollution. Balancing these priorities is not just important, it's essential. Every action we take needs to deliver gains across these areas, creating a more resilient and sustainable future for Wales. What's particularly exciting is that Wales is already leading the way. There is a genuine appetite for change from industry, from government, and from within our communities. This momentum reflects a shared ambition to decarbonise at pace, and at NRW, we are determined to play a central role in enabling that transition. NRW holds a unique position in this landscape. While my title focuses on the commercial side of our work, our remit extends far beyond that. We are not only a statutory consultee and environmental advisor but also a developer in our own right. This gives us a wide-reaching influence, and we are committed to using all aspects of our role to drive forward the decarbonisation agenda. Crucially, we believe that economic progress and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive, they can and must go hand in hand. To support this ambition, we established an Industrial Decarbonisation Team in 2023. This team has been working closely with Net Zero Industry Wales and engaging early with industry partners across the key industrial clusters in South Wales, North Wales, and the Celtic Freeport area. The aim is simple but significant, to offer clear, practical guidance that helps industries decarbonise in a way that is both effective and sustainable. Decarbonisation often involves complex trade-offs between environmental impact and economic benefit. Our team is helping to navigate these challenges, working with industry partners to design schemes that not only reduce carbon emissions but also secure the necessary environmental approvals efficiently and transparently. By engaging early and offering expert guidance, we are giving industries more certainty about the planning and consent process, helping them to progress their projects at the speed required to meet ambitious net-zero targets. We are aware that regulatory processes can sometimes be seen as barriers to progress. But we are determined not to be a blocker, we want to be part of the solution. That's why we are significantly increasing our resources, thanks to support from the Welsh Government, to ensure we are ready to manage the growing volume of projects coming through the pipeline. The scale of demand is expected to increase five to tenfold over the coming years. We are preparing now to meet that challenge head-on, ensuring that we can process applications at pace while maintaining the environmental integrity that is at the heart of our work. NRW stands ready to support Wales' transition to a low-carbon economy. Through strategic investment, close collaboration with industry, and a commitment to balancing environmental and economic goals, we believe Wales can achieve net zero in a way that benefits both people and nature. We are open for business, and ready to help deliver a cleaner, greener, more sustainable future for Wales. Sarah talks about this and more in the recent Net Zero Industries Wales podcast episode 'Building the Future – Wales' Path to Clean Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure' listen to the podcast HERE
Business News Wales
4 days ago
- Business
- Business News Wales
Investing in Consenting Processes to Unlock Wales' Decarbonisation Potential
Investment in consenting processes is not just about improving efficiency, it's about creating clarity and confidence for industry, government, and communities. At Natural Resources Wales (NRW), we've already seen how targeted investment and strategic reforms can make a tangible difference, particularly in the marine energy sector and we're now ready to apply those lessons to onshore and other consenting processes. Recent work in the marine energy sector has demonstrated the value of a clear, streamlined, and well-resourced consenting process. Following an end-to-end review of marine consenting, we've worked with the Welsh Government to simplify and improve the process for industry partners. The changes have been welcomed by industry, making it easier for developers to navigate the system, secure approvals, and deliver projects at pace while maintaining high environmental standards. Now, we are focusing on applying those same principles to non-marine consenting processes, covering onshore wind, solar, grid infrastructure, and other critical components of the decarbonisation agenda. This is a significant step forward, and it will require a meaningful increase in investment. NRW and the Welsh Government are committing resources to ensure that non-marine consenting follows a similar path of improvement, streamlining processes, providing greater clarity, and ultimately increasing the pace of project delivery. A key part of this approach will be ensuring that the system is well-resourced, both in terms of expertise and capacity. This means increasing the number of skilled staff available to engage with developers, offer guidance, and process applications efficiently. But it also means investing in the tools and evidence base that underpin the consenting process. One of the most valuable lessons from the marine energy sector is the benefit of shared evidence. Too often, developers have to repeat the same studies and commission new evidence for each individual application, even when the underlying environmental context is the same. We're now looking at how we can invest in common evidence bases, studies and data sets that can be used across multiple applications. This will not only reduce costs and duplication for developers but also create a more consistent and reliable foundation for decision-making. An example of this collaborative approach is the mechanism we've established through Net Zero Industry Wales. This allows private sector funding to be pooled and used to commission work of common interest, such as environmental studies, data collection, and strategic planning. By creating this shared resource, we're helping to reduce the burden on individual developers while ensuring that NRW and other public sector bodies have access to high-quality evidence to inform their decisions. This type of model shows how public and private sector collaboration can unlock bottlenecks and accelerate progress. What's particularly encouraging is the level of alignment we're now seeing across government, industry, and the wider sector. There is a shared sense of purpose and a collective ambition to succeed. It's rare to see industry, government, third-party organisations, and regulators all pulling in the same direction, but that's exactly where we are in Wales right now. Of course, investment alone won't solve all the challenges. What we're seeing is more than just a financial commitment, it's a cultural shift. There is a growing recognition that early engagement, co-production, and shared responsibility are the keys to success. Regulators are no longer seen as barriers to progress, we are part of the solution. That's why we're working harder than ever to engage with industry at the earliest possible stage, offering guidance and helping to shape projects so that they meet environmental and nature standards and secure consent more efficiently. At NRW, we care deeply about Wales' future. We see the enthusiasm and determination within the industry and government to drive forward the net-zero agenda. With the right investment, the right expertise, and a continued focus on partnership, we have a real opportunity to make Wales a leader in decarbonisation – setting a benchmark for how economic growth and environmental stewardship can go hand in hand. Sarah talks about this and more in the recent Net Zero Industries Wales podcast episode 'Building the Future – Wales' Path to Clean Energy and Sustainable Infrastructure' listen to the podcast HERE
