A FUNDING boost of nearly £5 million for a North Wales hydrogen project is among a series of schemes due to be highlighted by State for Wales Simon Hart when he outlines the UK Government’s plans for Wales which aim to deliver thousands of skilled jobs.

Speaking to an online audience of representatives from Welsh business, industry and tourism on Thursday (May 20) the Welsh Secretary will explain how the UK Government will build back 'better and greener' from the pandemic by investing in digital infrastructure, providing financial backing for green industry and supporting jobs and growth right across Wales in the coming months and years.

Mr Hart will also describe how the UK Government will operate at a community level in Wales, working directly with local authorities and other groups on delivery of funding and major projects.

He will say: “We have made clear our commitment to level up across Wales and the whole of the United Kingdom and we are now delivering on this commitment with a comprehensive plan of action.

“From improvements in local infrastructure through our £4.8 billion levelling-up fund, to the development of new green jobs of the future, this Plan for Wales brings together an ambitious programme of renewal that will generate jobs and prosperity in our local communities for years to come.

“My mission is to underscore the role of the UK Government in Wales as a force for good and highlight that we are ready to work with – not in competition against – decision makers in Wales, especially local authorities, in delivering these ambitions.

"They are best placed to determine both how to meet the specific needs of their areas and what will have the greatest impact.”

It comes after a year which has seen unprecedented support provided to businesses and individuals in Wales during the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than 500,000 Welsh jobs protected by UK Government support schemes like the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, billions provided in government loans to Welsh firms and an extra £8.6bn allocated to the devolved Welsh Government through the Barnett Formula since the start of the pandemic.

Mr Hart will tell the audience that the collective strength of the United Kingdom has been instrumental in harnessing collective scientific, industrial and financial strength to deliver a world-class vaccination programme that has provided a path out of lockdown.

And he will say that as Wales emerges from the pandemic, the UK Government has a hugely ambitious plan to shape its economy for the challenges ahead.

During his speech, the Welsh Secretary will outline a series of projects across Wales to which the UK Government has recently committed funding and support, as well as reiterating his government’s backing for longer-standing policies like significantly improving Wales’ digital infrastructure and ensuring transformational growth deals cover every area of Wales.

Projects highlighted by the Welsh Secretary will include:

  • Making almost £5m available for the Holyhead Hydrogen Hub project to pilot the use of hydrogen in the transport sector.
  • Investing, alongside industry, more than £40m to support a cluster of industries in South Wales to transition to net-zero.
  • Directly investing hundreds of millions of pounds in business and job creation in every area of Wales via the Growth Deals programme.
  • Investing £15.9m in low-carbon heavy goods vehicles which will be pioneered in Cwmbran.
  • Investing up to £30m, subject to approvals, in the Global Centre of Rail Excellence to create a world class train testing and R&D facility in the Dulais Valley.
  • Supporting the emergence of floating offshore wind, with the Crown Estate holding a formal leasing round for floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea.
  • Implementing the new Levelling Up Fund which will invest up to £4.8 billion in local infrastructure across the UK that has a visible impact on people and their communities.
  • Launching Project Gigabit, a £5bn connectivity programme to support the rollout of gigabit-capable broadband in the hardest to reach communities in Wales and across the UK.
  • Continuing to improve rural connectivity via the Shared Rural Network, a £1 billion deal with the mobile network operators to deliver 80% 4G mobile coverage from all four operators across Wales and 95% coverage from at least one.
  • Investing in Wales’ transport infrastructure including a further £2.7m to upgrade the digital signalling capability on the Cambrian Line.
  • Delivering the first-ever Freeport in Wales which could lead to thousands of new jobs.