The UK government has announced that Wales will play a key role in turning the UK into a “clean energy superpower.”

During a visit to a wind farm in Wales, prime minister Keir Starmer said that efforts to produce clean energy in the country would increase the UK’s energy independence and decrease the cost of energy bills.

Starmer highlighted Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, a Welsh government-owned company which was built 12 months and aims to produce 1 GW of clean energy by 2040, enough to power up to a million homes in Wales.

Additionally, the Crown Estate is working with the Welsh government to create windfarms capable of producing up to 4.5 gigawatts of renewable energy.

The Crown Estate estimates these planned windfarms could create more than 5,000 new jobs in construction and boost the economy by £1.4 billion.

Last month, the government announced it would invest £8.3 billon in the energy sector to fund a publicly-owned energy company focused on clean power projects.

The government said the plans for Great British Energy supported its commitment to provide price stability for energy bills and its long-term aim to deliver clean power by 2030.

“The Welsh government has made important strides that we can now build on, and I am determined that Wales is at the very heart of our mission to make Britain an energy superpower, with renewables powering homes right across the country,” said prime minister Keir Starmer. “Great British Energy will put the whole of the United Kingdom on the right path to deliver the independence we need, while helping to deliver lower bills for households and businesses and creating the next generation of skilled jobs.”

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