A North Wales company has secured the main contract worth £23.5 million to build onshore infrastructure for Anglesey marine energy project Morlais.
Social enterprise Menter Môn, who runs the scheme, announced that Jones Bros Civil Engineering has secured the contract and work will begin this spring.
The announcement comes at the same time as confirmation of £31million by the European Regional Development fund through the Welsh Government for the first phase of construction work.
Anglesey County Council, North Wales Growth Deal, as well as The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Crown Estate have also supported the project.
The Morlais tidal stream demonstration zone covers an area of 35km2 in the Irish Sea, and aims to attract developers and investors to Anglesey, to develop early-scale tidal energy projects. Together, these projects could deliver up to 240MW of new clean power and help lay the foundations for the growth of the tidal energy sector in Wales.
Gerallt Llywelyn Jones, a director with Morlais, he said: “We are delighted to be working with Jones Bros on this important project. Securing benefits to the North Wales economy has been very important to us and is the main reason we were so keen to create something with strong local roots.
“This contract is just the beginning of course, it is an important milestone to ensuring we can build local supply chains and create job opportunities here on Anglesey and across the wider region.
“But it’s not all about economy. With action to tackle climate change becoming ever more urgent, generating clean electricity is also becoming increasingly important. Jones Bros are experienced in delivering renewable energy projects - so we’re pleased to partner with them on a scheme which can make a real difference.”
With its headquarters in Ruthin, Jones Bros will be responsible for the construction of the landfall substation on Holy Island, as well as cabling which will connect the scheme to the National Grid. Contracts director for Jones Bros, Eryl Roberts, added: “It is fantastic to have been appointed to deliver the infrastructure for such an innovative renewable scheme like Morlais, which is right on our own doorstep in north Wales. We are passionate about making an impact through renewables and our team has a strong track record in projects of this stature across the UK, so to bring those skills to Anglesey is something we are looking forward to.
“As with all our projects, we will also provide opportunities to the local supply chain and apprentices, and we are excited to begin work on site to deliver this important scheme.”
Morlais is the largest UK tidal energy development run by a social enterprise and once constructed it will see clean electricity generated off the coast of Anglesey. Today another £31m was confirmed from Welsh Government while the Crown Estate will invest a further £1.2m to support the delivery of its environmental monitoring and mitigation package.
Climate Change Minister Julie James said: “We want to establish Wales as the location of choice for tidal stream developers and the supply chain. “The Welsh Government’s recent Deep Dive highlighted the need to take into account our energy needs and the needs of our ecosystems, the environment and needs of other sea users.
Minister for North Wales Lesley Griffiths added: “Anglesey and North Wales as a whole are very well placed to play a key role in innovative low carbon energy generation which benefits local communities.”
Minister for Economy, Vaughan Gething said: “The Morlais Infrastructure project is key to unlocking the development of the tidal stream sector in north Wales, bringing a number of economic benefits to the region. With the construction and testing of devices and preparation of infrastructure, the project will attract further sector investment enabling the supply chain to grow and with it create higher-skilled jobs.”
Nicola Clay, Head of New Ventures in The Crown Estate’s Marine team, said: "We welcome this latest investment in this important project, which has huge potential to help unlock new forms of clean power for Wales, paving the way for innovative energy technologies, greater resilience of supply, and new jobs, skills and inward investment.
“Our own funding commitment at Morlais is one example of how we’re working in partnership with the UK and Welsh governments to support their commitment to renewable energy growth and the transition to next zero.
“Through this latest investment, we will help provide a comprehensive package of essential data to support the development of this important project, safeguard marine biodiversity and make valuable insights available to benefit many other marine industries.”
