North Wales plays a vital role in the UK Government’s missions
Source: gov.uk (2025-04-15)

Welsh Secretary visits businesses in the region to discuss their contributions to the UK Government's clean energy and economic growth missions.

- Welsh Secretary champions the value of innovative businesses in north Wales
- Projects to reduce carbon emissions have potential to help deliver government’s net zero ambitions
- Cutting-edge life science sector drives economic growth and contributes well paid jobs
The Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens has spent two days (10th & 11th April) in north Wales meeting leading businesses in the region and discussing their contributions to the UK Government’s clean energy and economic growth missions. The missions are cornerstones of the UK Government’s Plan for Change, which aims to raise living standards across the UK and put more money in people’s pockets.

At Heidelberg Materials’ cement works in Padeswood near Mold, the Secretary of State heard about a pioneering Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project, which aims to decarbonize cement production and contribute to the UK’s net-zero goals.

Heidelberg Materials is proposing a £600 million plus investment at its Padeswood works which would enable it to capture up to 800,000 tonnes of CO2 per year and create around 50 new jobs.

At Enfinium’s Parc Adfer facility in Deeside, the Secretary of State saw how the plant today converts unrecyclable waste into energy and other useful products and the company showcased their plans to retrofit a Carbon Capture Plant.

The CCS project represents a £200 million investment in North Wales’s green economy and Enfinium estimates that it has the potential to actively remove up to 125,000t of carbon from the atmosphere each year from the organic material the plant already processes.

Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said:

It’s fantastic to see north Wales at the forefront of plans for Carbon Capture and Storage. It’s a technology that has huge potential for helping us achieve our net zero ambitions.

As part of our Plan for Change we want to encourage innovation and investment like that being shown by these North Wales companies, bringing economic growth as well as the well-paid secure jobs of the future.

Simon Willis, CEO at Heidelberg Materials UK, said:

We were delighted to welcome Jo Stevens to Padeswood and to have the opportunity to showcase our plans for the site.

Our CCS project, which was granted planning permission earlier this month, would bring significant investment and opportunity to the region, boosting the north Wales economy and securing the long-term future of hundreds of skilled jobs.

Once operational, it would also provide net zero building materials for major projects across the country, setting the construction industry on a path to decarbonisation and helping the UK government meet its 2050 net zero targets.

Enfinium CEO Mike Maudsley said:

We were delighted to welcome the Secretary of State for Wales to our Parc Adfer facility in Deeside, to discuss our plans to invest in the region and help grow the green economy in North Wales.

To deliver net zero, Wales and the UK needs to find a way to produce carbon removals at scale. Installing carbon capture at Parc Adfer will not only decarbonise Wales’s unrecyclable waste, but it will also transform the site into the largest carbon removal project in Wales.

While in north Wales the Secretary of State also saw cutting-edge businesses in the area’s life science sector.

Wockhardt UK Ltd is a subsidiary of a global pharmaceutical company which has its UK headquarters in Wrexham. The site also has a sterile injectable manufacturing facility which has been instrumental in producing the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine.

During her visit Jo Stevens toured the laboratory and manufacturing areas, met with apprentices, and discussed the company’s impact on the regional economy. She reiterated the UK Government’s commitment to supporting the life sciences sector and driving sustained economic growth through investment and innovation.

In her final engagement the Secretary of State for Wales visited Ipsen Biopharm, a global biopharmaceutical company with a neuroscience centre of excellence in Wrexham. She saw their work to develop and manufacture neurotoxins, which are used to treat people living with neurological conditions.

Ipsen has invested more than £100 million into its Wrexham site over the last three years, in order to expand its research and development (R&D) as well as manufacturing capabilities.The site uses 100% renewable energy across its production and research units.

Managing Director of Wockhardt UK Ltd Ravi Limaye said:

We were honoured to welcome the Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens, to our facility. Wockhardt has been in Wrexham for 21 years and has seen the town become a city and famous on the world stage.

We were involved in the COVID vaccine manufacture and are immensely proud of our dedicated staff who made this happen despite unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic.

Jeannette Brend, Site Head at Ipsen in Wrexham, said:

Ipsen Wrexham manufactures products that are exported to patients in over 90 countries around the world. Wrexham is an important site for Ipsen, and we are proud to be a major employer in the local community and invest in the area.

We welcome the UK Government’s commitment to supporting the life sciences sector and hope that this will continue so innovation can keep flourishing.’’

Throughout her visits, the Secretary of State highlighted the UK Government’s priority of economic growth and clean energy, emphasizing the importance of investments in green technologies and life sciences to support regional development and job creation.

ENDS