New wind farms' impact to be 'felt for generations'

New floating wind farms capable of powering millions of homes will have "a positive impact for generations to come," a minister has said.

The UK government has announced the companies that will develop major new windfarms in the sea off the coasts of south Wales and south-west England.

Thousands of jobs will be created in the process of building the turbines, which could be up to 300m (984ft) tall, sit on a football pitch-sized platform and be capable of powering four million homes in the UK.

Port Talbot and Bristol are the likely locations for assembly of the turbines, and it is predicted they could be operational by the early 2030s.

Working with the Crown Estate, Equinor and Gwynt Glas – a joint venture between EDF Renewables UK and ESB – will create several windfarms which are expected to be some of largest of their type in the world.

The Crown Estate – which manages the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland – is investing £400m in the UK's offshore wind supply chain.

Profits of the Crown Estate - a property business owned by the monarch but run independently - go to the Treasury.

The level of profit is used as a benchmark to calculate the funding given by the government to the Royal Family in the Sovereign Grant.

The Crown Estate owns more £603m of land in Wales, which includes 65% of Wales' coast and riverbeds, the seabed up to 12 miles (19km) out to sea, and 50,000 acres of land.

The project could support the creation of 5,300 new jobs and deliver a £1.4bn boost to the UK economy.

The companies said they were committed to ensuring that a minimum of 10% of employees aged 19-24 were not currently in education, employment or training.

Ministers are predicting that the windfarms could be operational in the early 2030s and will be offering "jobs, lower energy bills and energy security from a clean and renewable source".

Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens said the project was "hugely significant" for the clean energy industry.

She added that the windfarms would be "far out to sea" and probably not visible from land.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said it would be "transformative" for economic growth in Wales and the south-west.

He added: "Unlocking thousands of jobs in places like Port Talbot and Bristol, bolstering our energy security and delivering industrial renewal."

Rebecca Williams, director for Wales at the Crown Estate, told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that some jobs will be in roles building the turbines.

First minister Eluned Morgan said: "Obviously the first thing we'll be doing as a government is picking up the phone to those companies and saying 'right, how do we work together to maximise the number of jobs for Wales?"

A sustainability consultant from St David's in Pembrokeshire described it as "fantastic news for future generations".

Andy Middleton added: "Any young people, young boys and girls that are now 14 or 15 will be in their mid 20s by the time that these projects go live.

"So there's a real need to help young people get excited about the possibilities of working in fields like this where the whole of the UK energy system is going to be driven by electricity going forwards."

While welcoming the "brilliant" news, Jo Stevens also stepped into the teeth of a political storm that's been blowing for some time.

Today's announcement was "vindication" for not devolving control of the Crown Estate from the UK government to Wales, she said.

Welsh Labour, Plaid Cymru and many Welsh councils want it controlled here, as it is in Scotland, which means the Scots keep some of the revenue generated to invest locally, rather than see it go the Treasury in London.

For some it is more than the money: It is also a question of fairness.

On the scheme itself, there are still some unanswered questions, including how many jobs will be created in Wales specifically and the exact role that the port of Port Talbot might play.