The Western Gateway Partnership has announced Associated British Ports (ABP) as the first major sponsor for the 2024 Convention of the Western Gateway.
ABP, the UK’s leading port operator, owns and operates 21 ports across the UK which together manage around 25 percent of the UK’s total sea-borne trade. In South Wales, ABP’s five ports of Swansea, Port Talbot, Cardiff, Barry and Newport continue to be essential gateways for Wales with the world, but also have a key role in Wales’ new green future.
ABP will be sponsoring the Net Zero zone of the Convention. The event will also focus on supporting the growing Cyber and Technology sector, improving connections across the area, boosting investment into the area and protecting our areas of natural beauty.
The 2024 Convention for the Western Gateway will bring together local leaders, businesses, academics, and governments from across South Wales and Western England to discuss how the area can work together to develop the economy of the future for the UK. The event will take place at the International Convention Centre Wales in Newport on the 17th October 2024 and will also be a launch pad for a new “Plan for Sustainable Growth” for the area.
With national politicians from the UK and Wales due to speak, this will be a major economic event in the calendar.
Ralph Windeatt, Group Head of Business Development at ABP said: “We are delighted to partner with the Western Gateway for this high-profile event in Newport. The Convention provides a great platform for us to exhibit the enormous role ABP is playing, in delivering the future economy and supporting the UK’s energy transition.
“Our ports will play a key role in developing low-carbon infrastructure such as hydrogen production, sustainable aviation fuel, carbon capture and storage, which will provide new opportunities for local communities. In addition, we are investing in new manufacturing facilities and major port infrastructure upgrades to support the development of floating offshore wind (FLOW) in the Celtic Sea.”
ABP and partners within the South Wales Industrial Cluster (SWIC) are developing Clean Growth Hubs around our ports to drive industrial decarbonisation in the region and provide new opportunities for investment, growth and jobs in the low-carbon economy. These hubs will seek to cluster industry around low-carbon infrastructure to drive scales of economy.
ABP has ambitious plans to transform the Port of Port Talbot into a major hub for Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW) and green energy development. In addition, they are one of the four consortium partners of the successful Celtic Freeport, which will be key in supporting the development of FLOW, as well as other forms of renewable energy. With the potential to produce over 20GW of clean energy for the UK, the Celtic Sea area is likely to be one of the world’s most competitive clean energy markets.
Sarah Williams-Gardener, Chair of the Western Gateway, said: “ABP is a significant pillar of the Western Gateway economy, we are delighted they have chosen to sponsor our convention in October, showcasing their activities across the area.
“South Wales and Western England hold immense potential to contribute to the UK’s prosperity. This event will serve as a launchpad demonstrating the collaboration across businesses, Governments and local leaders ensuring our Pan Regional area leads the way in creating much needed economic growth for the UK.”
The Western Gateway is the pan-regional partnership for South Wales and Western England. Stretching from St Davids in Pembrokeshire to Swindon, the partnership brings together business, academia, and local leaders to work together to create new opportunities for local communities.
Tickets to attend the convention are available on the event website.
About Western Gateway
The Western Gateway is the pan-regional partnership for South Wales and Western England which reaches from Swansea to Swindon. The partnership brings together business, academia and governments from across the area to work together in partnership to drive growth and net zero. https://western-gateway.co.uk
About ABP Wales
ABP’s five Ports in South Wales, Barry, Cardiff, Port Talbot, Newport and Swansea contribute £1.5 billion to the UK economy every year, supporting 21,800 jobs across the UK.
- ABP’s Port of Cardiff handles around 1.8 million tonnes of cargo each year.
- The Port of Newport’s steel terminal provides over 30,000sqm of modern, covered storage dedicated to steel import and export operations.
- Port Talbot supports steel production in South Wales and handles project and heavy lift cargoes, steels and other metals, building aggregates and cargoes to support the offshore energy sector.
- Swansea is the most westerly of ABP’s South Wales ports, with the capacity to handle vessels of up to 30,000dwt and offers berths and facilities for most types of cargo.
- More than 14,000sqm of warehousing and extensive open storage facilities are available at the Port of Barry.
ABP’s Newport Masterplan
Another example of the key role that ABP’s ports can play in Wales’ energy transition journey is showcased in ABP’s recently launchedMasterplan for Newport. This sets out a vision for a 21st century sustainable industrial port, with renewable energy generation, future fuels facilities and shared infrastructure such as carbon capture and storage to enable the decarbonisation of industries located on and around the port. Find out more: https://www.abports.co.uk/future-ports-newport/
About ABP (www.abports.co.uk)
ABP, the UK’s leading ports group is Keeping Britain Trading with 21 ports and other transport-related businesses, creating a unique national network capable of handling a vast array of cargo. They are driving growth, contributing £7.5 billion to the UK economy every year and supporting over 119,000 jobs. Their current investment programme promises to further increase our contribution to regional economies around the UK.
ABP is also an essential partner for the Offshore Wind industry, providing Operations and Maintenance (O&M) for ever 50% of the sector’s activity, as well as investing in infrastructure to release future renewable energy generation.
Joe Ball
Head of Communications / Pennaeth Cyfathrebu
Western Gateway / Porth y Gorllewin
Mobile: 07749 947691
Email: joe.ball@western-gateway.co.uk
