The £1.3 billion investment into four local authorities – Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire – will deliver eleven transformational projects in the region in the fields of energy, smart manufacturing, innovation and life science, with major investment in the region’s digital infrastructure and workforce skills and talent underpinning each.
SPECIFIC Innovation & Knowledge Centre will support the ‘Homes as Power Stations’ project led by Neath Port Talbot council. This programme targets both new build and retrofit of existing homes and buildings with integrated renewable energy technologies. The major aim of the project is to reduce fuel poverty and its impact on health. It will also have a focus on digital connectivity and smart metering.
Kevin Bygate, SPECIFIC’s Chief Executive said “This deal is very positive for both SPECIFIC and the wider region, and we are delighted to be a part of it.
“It will provide the opportunity for full-scale demonstration of the ‘buildings as power stations’ concept and help to accelerate market uptake of new solar energy systems.
“It also creates an opportunity for the Region and Wales to be leaders in sustainable construction, building on the network of expertise and support that is already here to steer a programme of national significance.
“We look forward to working with Neath Port Talbot council, the Welsh Government and the construction industry on this project and to a new energy future.”
Welcoming today’s City Deal announcement, Professor Richard B Davies, Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, said: “The Swansea Bay City region has a rich history of innovation. This ground-breaking £1.3bn City Deal will ensure that innovation thrives once again and is encouraged, embedded, and commercialised to help create a new era of growth and prosperity ranging from improved health care to tackling fuel poverty with many associated benefits.”
Read the full statement from Swansea University.