Energy to develop

With an increasing focus on finding solutions to the UK's energy needs, Pembrokeshire is meeting the challenges of a new decade's energy requirements, Tony Streatfield explains

This year’s winter has been one of the harshest on record, with the longest duration of cold weather for over 30 years. As the cold spell gripped and paralysed the country, the importance of the country’s energy situation became clear. Rumours of potential gas shortages were ripe in the media.

Then with the nation’s attention focused on energy security as well as the environment in the wake of the Copenhagen summit, Crown Estates announced that large offshore Wind Farms were to be developed that would significantly boost the UK’s green energy resources.

It is clear that energy, and our increasing dependence on a large, clean supply of it, will define the next decade. In Pembrokeshire, this focus is already in place.

The county played an important role in balancing the supply of gas into the national distribution network. For the first winter since they were commissioned in the summer of 2009, the two new Liquid Natural Gas plants in Milford Haven supplied gas into the network. These two plants, South Hook and Dragon, cost many thousands of millions of pounds to build. Their full worth has only become apparent as the demand for gas has soared during the cold spell. Without them the country may have had real problems coping with the record levels of demand that existed.

At times in January, over one eighth of the gas flowing into the national network had been delivered by ship to Milford Haven. A single cargo of liquid gas delivered to Milford Haven by a standard gas tanker provides enough gas for the whole of the UK for eight and a half hours at the record levels of demand recently observed and for much longer at normal rates of demand. Each week, two or three ships are delivering to Milford Haven where the Liquid Natural Gas is stored, before being transformed back into gas and transported via 48 inch diameter pipes into the national network and subsequently to homes, offices shops and factories throughout the UK. Through visionary investment in this energy infrastructure, Pembrokeshire has helped avoid the UK avoid a winter of energy discontent.

Whilst the UK is currently highly dependent upon, oil, coal and gas for its electricity the government is keen to see renewable technologies used to generate more of our electricity. To this end the Crown Estates published details of Off-shore Wind Round 3 development partners in early January. One of these new developments is proposed for the Bristol Chanel. If chosen, this development will transform the area as a new power infrastructure is built to service the green energy boom, with a likely increase in jobs as a result.

Pembrokeshire is set to become a key location for marine energy developments. Not only has the port at Milford the capacity and potential to support the offshore wind industry but, the area off the Pembrokeshire coastline provides ideal conditions for both tidal and wave energy developments. All of these marine energy developers will also benefit from the established marine and mechanical engineering and fabrication industry that exists around the Haven Waterway.

Companies with interests in other renewable energy technologies are also looking to Pembrokeshire as the county offers various benefits including the research facilities at Technium Pembrokeshire where businesses can co-locate with others working on the development of new technologies as well as getting a comprehensive mixture of business and technology support which can be sourced from a range of Welsh Universities as appropriate.

The UK’s dependence on fossil fuels is far from over. Yet Pembrokeshire is taking steps in the right direction for developing a greener energy future.

For more information: To discuss business ideas in Pembrokeshire, contact Tony Streatfield, Inward Investment Officer at Pembrokeshire County Council. Tel: 0143 777 6166 or email: tony.streatfield@pembrokeshire.gov.uk