Several times a year the Commission visits different parts of Wales to understand local issues of infrastructure that can help inform our views and bring more lived experience to our recommendations. 

In July 2025 we visited Conwy and Ynys Môn to meet a wide range of stakeholders from energy, infrastructure and associated sectors to understand local and regional pressures and opportunities.

Energy

Our first roundtable brought together nearly 20 energy specialists from across north Wales. The conversation was dynamic and far-reaching, covering tidal energy, skills development, planning processes, port infrastructure, and the need for a more cohesive energy vision for Wales.

Key themes included:

• Tidal Power Potential: There was strong support for exploring tidal lagoon technology, not just for its energy generation potential, but for the added benefits it could bring. These include coastal protection, tourism growth, and long-term cost savings through the production of long-term, predictable and dependable renewable electricity
• Coastal protection synergies: We remain deeply disappointed by the Conservative Government’s 2018 decision not to fund the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon. Beyond energy output, the failure to recognise the project’s value in climate resilience, especially as coastal erosion accelerates,was a significant oversight. North Wales alone has seen tens of millions of pounds spent on flood defences in the past decade. Accepting that we cannot protect every coastline across Wales, strategic investment in tidal infrastructure could yield multiple benefits across sectors for generations to come.
• NICW will be writing to the UK Government, following up on our letter to Rachel Reeves in 2024 about the Green Book, to make precisely this point. The current funding model, which – for tidal range projects – is myopically focused just on energy output, is wholly unsuited to decision-making in a complex world which requires nuanced understanding of a range of cross-sectoral issues.
• Planning and grid friction: Concerns were raised around the fragmented planning landscape and the lack of alignment between local ambition and national frameworks. Stakeholders called for an acceleration of resource pooling to improve capacity and coordination across planning and grid infrastructure.
• Energy vision for Wales: Several contributors questioned whether Wales should aim for self-sufficiency or strategic surplus in renewables, and whether Welsh Government knew what it wanted. The lack of vision was described as a concern for a number of participants, not least in the context of emerging high-consumption industries such as data centres.

Infrastructure

Our second session was intended to focus on other issues, but energy was also raised in relation to district heating. We heard examples of companies that exported large quantities of low-grade heat for use in local heat networks in other countries, but were unable to deliver the same service in Wales because of the complexity of planning and other regulatory functions – an opportunity missed!

Transport infrastructure was raised as a major issue, with a recent fire in the Conwy tunnel and subsequent 4-hour delays to road transport highlighted; along with transport links onto Ynys Môn. In north east Wales, deficiencies in public transport provision, particularly related to bus routes and timing, were described as causing excessive use of cars in getting to and from work, and disenfranchising those without access to private motor vehicles.

There seemed to be general consensus that the accessibility of officials from both local authorities and Welsh Government was a strong positive, but a feeling that infrastructure developments generally were lagging behind what was necessary to keep pace with ambitions of economic development.

Holyhead Port

Our bus trip to Holyhead Port was enlivened by a description of plans for improving the local transport network by Transport for Wales. Our visit to the port coincided with a significant milestone; the second berth finally opened, following serious damage at Christmas 2024 that required extensive rebuilding work over a period of seven months, and necessitated the complete closure of the port for five weeks.

We were given a talk about the history of the port, and its importance to the economy of Ynys Môn and north Wales as well as the UK and the island of Ireland. This included a description of the importance of the breakwater – the longest in Europe – an impressive and enduring piece of Victorian engineering that took 28 years to complete, and without which the port would not be viable. The battering that the breakwater receives necessitates continues repair; a £150m tender for work aimed at ensuring its viability in the decades to come has just been launched.

Our next stop was the site of the former Anglesey Aluminium plant. It has been earmarked as a major development site by Stena Line who have invested in the remediation of a site – a big vote of confidence in the area by a major employer. With superb utility connections including railway access and a major grid connection it clearly has potential. Our visit highlighted the sheer scale of the site.

Reflections

Throughout our tour, we were struck by the passion, vision, and resilience of the people we met. Stakeholders spoke with both hope and frustration; hope in the region’s potential, and frustration at the barriers that continue to constrain it.

At NICW, we remain committed to building on these conversations and bringing these local perspectives into our national policy work. Our goal is to shape infrastructure policy that enables, rather than inhibits, the ambition and creativity evident in north Wales.

Acknowledgements

NICW would like to sincerely thank Ambition North Wales for their significant support in organising this study tour. We would also like to thank everybody who participated in our roundtable meetings, and Stena Line for showing us around the port.