Hiraeth Energy and Magnora Offshore Wind have signed an agreement on jointly developing two floating offshore wind projects, called Môr Glas and Môr Gwyrdd, in the Celtic Sea. Hiraeth Energy identified search areas for the two projects earlier this year, and were pleased that they will be located within the search areas identified by The Crown Estate in the announcement in early July.
The Magnora Offshore Wind team visited the project office in Pembroke Dock, as well as the local port infrastructure, when they came to sign the agreement that could be ground-breaking for community energy in Wales.
Welsh Government has clear aspirations for local ownership of energy projects, and has set a target of 1GW of local ownership by 2030. The community component of Môr Glas and Môr Gwyrdd would represent a sizeable chunk of this total, and would recycle large amounts of income into some of the most deprived areas of Wales.
The proposal for significant ownership of Môr Glas and Môr Gwyrdd by community organisations comfortably meets policy requirements set out by Welsh Government on local ownership, and we think that we are raising the bar for community ownership within Wales.
Commenting on the agreement and on the potential benefits to the communities of Wales, Hiraeth Energy Partner Joseph Kidd said:
“Throughout our development of Môr Glas and Môr Gwyrdd we are determined to maximise the benefits to the supply chain, environment and communities of Wales. The agreement with Magnora Offshore Wind is innovative and breaks new ground for the concept of community ownership for Welsh energy projects”.
