Category: Infrastructure

  • Beyond Grid – Towards a Decarbonised Electricity System

    Beyond Grid – Towards a Decarbonised Electricity System

    Nick Tune, one of the two Commissioners who led the work of the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales on Renewable Energy, talks about the future of the electricity grid system in Wales. On March 19, 2024, The National Grid Energy Systems Operator (ESO) unveiled “Beyond 2030: A National Blueprint for a Decarbonized Electricity System in…

  • NICW Response to the Senedd CCEI Committee Report

    NICW Response to the Senedd CCEI Committee Report

    Llŷr Gruffydd MS,Chair, Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure CommitteeSeneddClimate@senedd.wales 15th May 2024 Dear Llŷr Thank you for your letter of the 15 April 2024 enclosing a copy of the Climate Change, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee’s report; “Annual report on the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales 2023”. It was a pleasure to meet with yourself and…

  • Port Talbot; strategic domestic manufacturing

    Port Talbot; strategic domestic manufacturing

    This is a guest post by Dr Jen Baxter, Deputy Chair of NICW Tata’s closure The news that Tata Steel will close both blast furnaces at its Port Talbot steelworks within the next 18 months and replace them with an electric arc furnace (around 2027) will significantly reduce the UK’s ability to be self-sufficient in…

  • Four-country coordination on grid

    Four-country coordination on grid

    On 2 August 2023 NICW wrote to Ministers in different parts of the UK on the need for greater coordination on grid issues. Julie James MSMinister for Climate Change, Welsh GovernmentCorrespondence. Julie.James@gov.wales  The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MPSecretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, UK GovernmentSecretary.State@beis.gov.uk  Gillian Martin MSPMinister for Energy and the…

  • Infrastructure Bill Wales

    Infrastructure Bill Wales

    NICW has written to the Senedd Committee for Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure in response to their consultation on the Infrastructure Wales Bill. We were delighted to be able to offer a joint opinion in partnership with the Commissioner for Future Generations in Wales, Derek Walker. Dear Chair Infrastructure (Wales) Bill – Climate Change, Environment,…

  • Progress on flooding

    Progress on flooding

    NICW has written to Welsh Government to provide an update on our activity on flooding. Julie James MSMinister for Climate ChangeWelsh Government 9 June 2023 Dear Minister We are writing to you to update on the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales’ work on flooding and, in particular, the Co-operation Agreement commitment which asks us to…

  • Reviewing the Roads Review

    Reviewing the Roads Review

    NICW Roads Review response This document is our response to the publication of the Roads Review (1). We also note the accompanying National Transport Delivery Plan (2). Planning and Finance The National Infrastructure Commission for Wales considers the needs and role of infrastructure in Wales from approximately 2030-2100. The roads considered within the Roads Review…

  • Cars and roads in Wales

    Cars and roads in Wales

    Introduction This blog post is a precursor to a NICW opinion piece on the Roads Review, and on the Welsh Government’s response to the Roads Review. The Roads Review was undertaken under a very tight remit and timeline. There is an inevitable tradeoff between the terms of reference for the review, and the ability to…

  • Who’s breaking down the digital barriers in Wales?

    Who’s breaking down the digital barriers in Wales?

    The first report produced by the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) was published in December 2020. It examined Digital Communications Infrastructure in Wales and made 14 recommendations to the Welsh Government. Welsh Government has since responded to the report and has recently published the results of actions on one of our recommendations; namely, to…