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Taking a flight to the year 2126
Taking a flight to 2026; a Nature Guardian event Background In 2025 NICW undertook a trial of the Nature Guardian concept – aiming to test how decision making was influenced by involving a representative of Nature in the Commission. This process followed the publication of our report on flooding, which included a recommendation for Welsh…
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New Government: New Opportunities
New Government: New Opportunities Wales has a new government. The Senedd election of 7 May has brought a change of administration, and with it a clear intention that places energy independence, flood resilience, nature recovery and long-term infrastructure investment at its centre. For those who have followed NICW’s work over recent years, the incoming government’s…
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Counting the cost of inaction: net zero buildings in Wales
Counting the cost of inaction: net zero buildings in Wales In February 2007, the Welsh Government made a bold announcement. All new buildings would need to achieve zero carbon by 2011, five years ahead of the UK Government’s own 2016 target. At the time, it felt like Wales was genuinely about to lead the way.…
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Wales’ water: a (real) once in a generation opportunity
Wales’ water: a (real) once in a generation opportunity We often hear that new policies are once-in-a-generation opportunities. Sometimes it’s even true, which is certainly the case for water regulation in Wales. Welsh Government recently kicked off a consultation via a Green paper, “Shaping the Future of Water Governance in Wales”, which aims to set…
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Infrastructure Cymru 2026
Infrastructure Cymru 2026 A stakeholder conversation on Wales’ infrastructure future On Monday 23 March 2026, Infrastructure Cymru 2026 brought together over 100 policymakers, infrastructure providers, delivery bodies and community voices from across Wales for a one-day event at Cornerstone, Cardiff. The event marked a unique moment in Wales’ infrastructure conversation as one of the few…
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Infrastructure for Future Generations
Infrastructure for Future Generations Today we publish a suite of infrastructure sector insights and a major study into infrastructure delivery in Wales. Together, they form the most complete picture we’ve produced of how our essential systems are performing and allow us to assess whether Wales is set up to deliver the infrastructure future generations will…
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Nature Guardian Case Study
Nature as a Stakeholder: A Case Study of the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales’ Nature Guardian Pilot – Elspeth Jones Executive Summary In 2025, the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) undertook a six-month pilot to test a novel governance intervention: the appointment of a “Nature Guardian” to participate directly in Commission discussions. The pilot was not…
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A toolkit for community engagement on climate change
A toolkit for community engagement on climate change Infrastructure decisions made today will shape the lives of people living many decades into the future. As climate risks become increasingly complex and uncertain, public bodies and infrastructure providers need to work in new ways so that communities who want or need to understand, discuss, and influence…
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Publication of Flooding Report
Commission’s new report highlights vital steps to increase Wales’ flood resilience The National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) has today (17 October) published its latest report — “Building Resilience to Flooding in Wales by 2050”. The report presents bold but practical recommendations for Welsh Ministers to future-proof Wales against the growing risks of flooding over…
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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…
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Commission begins research into renewable energy infrastructure challenges
Delivering renewable energy in a fair, just and collaborative way is the focus of research which the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales (NICW) is announcing today. NICW was established in 2018 as a non-statutory body to advise and make recommendations to Welsh Ministers on Wales’ economic and environmental infrastructure needs over the next five to…