A Welsh Green New Deal
Plaid Cymru believes that we need to retain the ability to produce primary steel in Wales. We oppose Tata’s current plans for the closure of its blast furnaces in Port Talbot and the impact that these plans will have on jobs and communities in southwest Wales and beyond. The UK Government should look to nationalise the Port Talbot steelworks. Failing this, the Welsh Government should explore options for the compulsory purchase of the plant while future options for greening steel production – including through replacing coal with green hydrogen – are developed.
We will create a Welsh Green New Deal. This will create rewarding, meaningful and fair work in the emerging green and net-zero sector, and includes re-skilling and supporting Welsh employees and apprentices into these sectors, meeting the need associated with demographic change in the manufacturing workforce and the skills shortages already identified.
As part of the move towards net-zero, we will establish a Just Transition Commission.