Associated British Ports (ABP) plans to create a major hub for Floating Offshore Wind (FLOW) at Port Talbot has recently been boosted by the Government's Department of Energy Security and Net Zero decision to advance the Future Port Talbot Programme to the Primary List phase of the Floating Offshore Wind Manufacturing Investment Scheme (FLOWMIS), and a visit from Maritime Minister, Lord Davies. Now it has appointed property consultancy Knight Frank as joint marketing agents for its five ports in South Wales.

In 2021, ABP announced its long-term Future Ports: Wales Vision strategy centred around decarbonising energy, manufacturing and logistics around its ports and creating new clean growth environments connected by and to the rail network.

Earlier this year Newport was the latest port in South Wales to undergo a master-planning process, following work at Barry and Port Talbot with sustainability at the centre of its proposals with a focus on wind and solar energy as well as facilities for carbon capture and hydrogen electrolysis.

The Future Port Talbot project would see the port transformed into a major hub for the manufacturing, assembly, and integration of FLOW components for projects in the Celtic Sea, connecting a network of ports across South Wales and the South West.

The visit of Lord Davies marks a significant milestone in the Future Port Talbot Programme and supports ABP's wider plans, set out in its sustainability strategy, to invest £2bn into decarbonising its own operations by 2040 as well as supporting large-scale green energy infrastructure and industrial decarbonisation projects. These other projects include major green ammonia/hydrogen and CCS projects in the Humber and offshore wind projects in the Humber and East Anglia amongst others.

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