The ambition to unlock Wales’ renewable energy potential
The Copper team returned to RenewableUK’s Future Energy Wales Conference this week, and it is clear that the ambition to unlock Wales’ renewable energy potential still prevails, even in the context of challenging headwinds of investment uncertainties, potential political challenges, and, as ever, grid constraints.
The key themes were:
- Ensuring our coastal communities benefit from floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea
- Grid capacity
- Pace of delivery to unlock to potential economic benefits of renewable energy
The conference kicked off with opening remarks from Jessica Hooper, Director at RenewableUK Cymru, giving a snapshot of Wales’s clean energy progress and the £10 billion opportunity for Welsh businesses from building renewable energy projects across Wales.
Further opening statements came from Rebecca Evans – Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy & Planning in the Welsh Government who launched the Port Prospectus, highlighting Wales’s extraordinary potential in offshore wind energy which is already delivering with over 500 turbines deployed from Port of Mostyn alone, with ports across Swansea, Port Talbot, and Milford Haven all ready to scale up operations to support the roll out. The Port Prospectus is key to ensuring the economic benefits of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea directly benefit our coastal communities.
Day two opened with an even stronger signal of the commitment to the renewable sector, with Wales’ First Minister Eluned Morgan taking to the stage, reassuring the conference that her government remained committed to clean growth and clean power.
The elephant in the room
The issue of political change in Wales was ever-present throughout the conference and a topic that came up time and time again across the sessions. With May’s Senedd elections but months away, and Plaid Cymru and Reform UK still neck and neck in the polls, this is an industry that’s gearing up for political change in Wales.
Reform has built its reputation partly on challenging moderate and centrist thinking, and that expands to climate change. So, the argument goes, the UK has had thriving fossil fuel and gas industries, and they are a quicker route to prosperity for the areas they are based in; in Reform’s view, the economics don’t stack up when measuring the benefit of achieving Net Zero against the cost to ordinary taxpayers.
Plaid is less sceptical on the need for renewables – they’re just not keen on them being anywhere near their heartlands! A pertinent streak of NIMBYism runs through the party; they recognise the need for a transition to cleaner energy, they just don’t want it being built where they, or their voters, live.
Held the same week as Conservative Party Conference and a few days ahead of Plaid Cymru’s annual conference, the First Minister and her government representatives were keen to demonstrate that they were on the side of the renewable industry, and working at pace to deliver better job opportunities, energy security and cheaper bills for Welsh households. The question is: did this message land, and was anyone listening?
We left the conference wondering what the mood at FEW 2026 would be if the polling bears fruit.
Goodbye net zero; hello economic prosperity
Also notable was a distinct absence of ‘net zero’, with a refocus on economic opportunity and energy security instead.
As our Winning Back the Net Zero Narrative report finds, climate change is no longer viewed as a strong enough justification for disrupting people’s everyday lives. The term net zero is losing public resonance and becoming politically polarised, misrepresented as a burden, or even optional. Many people feel disconnected from the benefits, but very connected to the disruption of decarbonisation and moving to a net zero economy, with 1 in 4 saying they have no understanding of what net zero means.
Our Wales Lead, Lisa Childs, explored some of these themes in a panel discussion on misinformation and fake news in relation to renewables.
Lisa also shared the findings of our research with Welsh politicians, Securing Consent for Renewables in Wales: What Communities and Local Leaders Want from Developers. Namely, that face-to-face engagement matters most when engaging communities and tackling misinformation; people trust people, not websites or glossy brochures.
Welsh politicians also told us that first impressions count – how projects are introduced shapes everything that follows, and once trust is lost, it’s very hard to win back.
Lisa also discussed how relevance is key: Welsh identity, culture, and language are crucial.
Our Copper compass for securing consent for renewables in Wales is:
- Go early – Don’t let misinformation fill the space before you’ve even introduced a project.
- Be transparent – Share both benefits and challenges. Honesty builds credibility.
- Localise the narrative – Show how renewable projects deliver for this community, not just national climate goals.
- Challenge misinformation, but welcome disagreement – Push back on conspiracy theories but treat criticism as a chance to explain benefits.
- Leave a legacy – Social value, long-term community benefit funds, local skills programmes – these are the strongest counter-narratives to myths.
If you would like to discuss our research, our experience in Wales, or find out more about our Welsh team and expertise, you can get in touch with Lisa Childs.