Croeso!
Since our Spring newsletter, there’s been no shortage of developments shaping the political and energy landscape in Wales.
The Crown Estate has announced the preferred bidders for the first two floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea – a major milestone for renewable energy in Wales. Meanwhile, the Welsh Government has published regulations under the Infrastructure (Wales) Act, setting the stage for a new era of infrastructure planning and public engagement.
We were also thrilled to see RWE secure planning consent for its Alwen Forest Wind Farm in north Wales; we are proud to have supported RWE on stakeholder engagement and comms.
With just over six months to go until the 2026 Senedd Election, the political picture is shifting. The latest polling and recent Caerphilly by-election shows Plaid Cymru and Reform UK battling it out to become the largest party, with Labour seeking to recover from a distant third. With the now probable historic end to Labour’s dominance in Wales next May, our election monitoring service is already helping clients navigate this evolving landscape – contact us to find out more!
And finally, a big shout-out to Ewan, who wrapped up his time with Cadno earlier this year. Diolch for everything!
Nel Richards joins Cadno
In mid-September, Nel Richards joined Cadno as a Communications and Public Affairs Assistant. She will be responsible for organising essential aspects of stakeholder communications and informing clients about Welsh politics. She is looking forward to working on renewable energy projects and meeting new people along the way.
Nel has recently returned from London where she studied MSc Environment, Politics and Development at King’s College London, where she explored sustainability, the climate crisis and how we can tackle environmental and social injustice. She is a fluent Welsh speaker.
Daniel is a Rising Star!
Daniel has been recognised as a ‘rising star’ for his contribution to the public affairs support Cadno delivers to The Crown Estate in Wales. This is well deserved recognition of the Daniel does for Cadno’s clients. He is always on top of his brief.
Proud to be working with Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru
We’re thrilled to be working with Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru on their proposals for Glyn Cothi Wind Farm in Carmarthenshire. This is a significant project with early feasibility work showing that Glyn Cothi can accommodate up to 27 turbines which could generate up to 162 MW of clean electricity, enough to power 144,000 of average households in Wales.
Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru’s mission is to unlock the renewable energy potential of Wales, and deliver benefits to our society, our environment and our economy, for everyone living and working in Wales today and for future generations.
RWE secures planning consent for Alwen Forest Wind Farm
RWE has secured planning consent from the Welsh government for the 60MW Alwen Forest wind farm in north Wales. The scheme will generate electricity equivalent to the needs of 70,600 homes and could be its first project in Wales to include local ownership through a community benefit society in partnership with Community Energy Wales.
The project is expected to create or safeguard about 270 jobs in the UK supply chain, of which around 207 would be in Wales.
We are proud to have supported RWE on stakeholder engagement and comms for Alwen during its development and of course had fun along the way!
The Crown Estate’s Welsh Language Minecraft World
Earlier this year we supported The Crown Estate to pilot their bilingual Minecraft Education World, inviting six schools across Wales to participate in their Offshore Wind Power Challenge World.
Welsh language education agency Dosbarth, based in south west Wales, delivered lessons on the Minecraft world to over 200 pupils.
The world is available in English and Welsh, enabling pupils all over the country to develop their knowledge and skills around sustainability, conservation, engineering, and the environment. A video of the tool and the students, is available here.
It was great to see the pupils approach the world with so much enthusiasm, and to see so many wonderful, pixelated turbines being designed and built in the game!
The Crown Estate Senedd Reception
Cadno helped to organise The Crown Estate’s Senedd Reception on a beautiful summer’s evening in July. The event brought together a vibrant mix of guests from across Wales’ political, energy and environmental sectors. We were delighted to welcome The Crown Estate’s Chief Executive, Dan Labbad, alongside Members of the Senedd, key partners, customers, and supporters of The Crown Estate’s work in Wales.
The reception was a celebration of collaboration and progress, and a chance to reflect on the growing momentum behind renewable energy, marine stewardship, and sustainable development in Wales. It was also an opportunity to strengthen relationships and share insights on the opportunities ahead, particularly in the Celtic Sea and beyond.
We’re grateful to everyone who joined us and helped make the evening such a success.
Cadno in Conversation: Rebecca Evans MS
In April, Rebecca Evans MS, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning, joined over 60 women working in the renewable energy sector at our second Cadno in Conversation event.
Hosted at the Eversheds Sutherland offices in Cardiff and supported by Eversheds Sutherland and Savills, the event provided a unique opportunity for women across the industry in Wales to explore with the Cabinet Secretary the challenges facing the sector and how professionals working in the renewables sector can help drive change.
Infrastructure (Wales) Act 2024: Regulations
In June, the Welsh Government published the first five regulations relating to the Infrastructure (Wales) Act, with the news that they will come into action on 15 December 2025. We at Cadno were particularly interested to see the new regulation for pre-application consultations for Infrastructure Consent (IC) projects, and to see how it differs from the DNS process.
The new regulations set out requirements for developers to engage more widely, including designating local MSs, MPs and other individuals or groups as consultees. There is a new requirement to set up and maintain a website, which is updated regularly, and to hold at least one consultation event.
We welcome these additions and look forward to the Welsh Government’s guidance on the new regulations which is due later this year, to help understand some ambiguities. We always advise clients to go over and above the DNS requirements to publicise and consult widely, both at the informal consultation stages and at PAC.
Senedd CPG on Renewable and Low Carbon Energy
On September 23rd we hosted the latest Senedd Cross Party Group event on Renewable and Low Carbon Energy. Nearly fifty attendees joined us — including developers, planners, third sector organisations, government representatives, and several Members of the Senedd (MSs) and their staff. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn more about NESO’s work and their future plans in Wales.
We heard that Welsh residents are struggling more than their English and Scottish counterparts to pay energy bills, leaving many concerned about the affordability of energy. Meeting our rising energy demand and achieving net zero targets will require a diverse mix of technologies, delivered quickly and at scale.
Diolch to our audience, our panellists – Abi Beck, Aled Rowlands, and Sam Tickle – and to our chair Delyth Jewell MS for a thought-provoking discussion and clear insights into NESO’s work.
Party Conferences
Plaid Cymru Conference
Cadno attended the Plaid Cymru Autumn Conference in October, and before that the party’s Spring Conference in March. We valued the opportunity to connect with stakeholders, discuss Plaid’s energy and infrastructure policy, and keep clients informed. The atmosphere at both conferences, and particularly the Autumn Conference in Swansea, reflected a party gaining political momentum and positioning itself as a serious contender to lead the next Welsh Government.
Energy policy took centre stage, with calls for a radical shift in how Wales harnesses its natural resources. As with any party preparing for government, Plaid Cymru is grappling with complex trade-offs between ambition and accountability. For energy developments, this is manifested in the tension between the urgency of achieving net zero and the need for community consent and tangible local benefits.
Welsh Labour Conference
In June, Angharad and Daniel represented Cadno at the Welsh Labour Conference in Llandudno. We were proud to support our clients in meaningful conversations with ministers, Senedd Members, MPs, council leaders, special advisers, and political staff, making the case for clean energy and infrastructure investment to be at the heart of Welsh Labour’s 2026 Senedd Election manifesto.
In addition, Daniel chaired a session for Public Affairs Cymru members with Chair of the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, Ruth Jones MP. The discussion delved into Ruth’s advice on how public affairs professionals can engage effectively with the committee and MPs more broadly, and how the committee navigates cross-border policy areas.
Plaid Cymru Ysgol Haf
In September, Cadno organised an event as part of Plaid Cymru’s ‘Ysgol Haf’ for the party’s MSs and candidates. The session explored renewable energy policy, the challenge ahead and the opportunity for Wales.
Thanks to our panellists, RWE, RenewableUK Cymru, and NESO, and to Delyth Jewell MS for chairing. It’s an important time as parties prepare for the Senedd Election in 2026, and especially for Plaid Cymru which is a serious contender to lead the next Welsh Government.
Swansea Bay Business Club with Torsten Bell MP
We had the pleasure of joining clients and stakeholders at Swansea Bay Business Club’s July lunch.
We were privileged to hear from Torsten Bell, Labour MP for Swansea West and Treasury Minister, who shared valuable perspectives on economic growth, the role of business, and the critical need for infrastructure investment – including the exciting potential of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea.
The event also offered a great opportunity to connect with a wide range of businesses and organisations in the Swansea Bay City Region.
Cadno and RWE’s litter pick at Aberavon Beach
In March, Ollie, Jen, Jenna, and Huw from RWE and the Cadno team (Keith and Wolfie the dogs included!) ventured to the lovely Aberavon Beach.
Thankfully, the weather held up, and we managed to fill up our eight bags and picked up a couple of traffic cones along the way.
The pick was supported Keep Wales Tidy, who provided litter picking kit and guided us to the best litter picking spots.
Keep Wales Tidy’s Spring Clean Cymru campaign ran from 21 March – 6 April, encouraging people to show you ‘love where you live’ by pledging to pick up as much litter as you can. We also registered our pick as part of Surfers Against Sewage’s Million Mile Clean campaign.
Clwb Pêl-Droed Treganna
We wish Clwb Pêl-Droed Treganna huge congratulations on being promoted to the Cardiff Combination Football League First Division after only one year of playing together as a team. Da iawn bois!
Cadno is sponsoring the team for the second year running. We’re really proud of these young sportsmen supporting the Welsh language, mental health and wellbeing.
Public Affairs Cymru Annual Dinner
We enjoyed the Public Affairs Cymru Annual Dinner 2025 in Cardiff Bay in October. It was a great opportunity to connect with colleagues across the sector and reflect on the work we do to support policymaking in Wales. Diolch to Daniel and the Public Affairs Cymru Committee for organising!
Celebrating 10 years of Cadno!
In August we celebrated 10 years of Cadno! We’ve achieved a lot over the last decade and have worked on some incredibly exciting and impactful projects. We are so grateful to our incredible clients – past and present – who we are proud to represent and work with.
Our team of consultants are invaluable, and we couldn’t provide our services without their guidance and expertise. Diolch Meilyr Ceredig, Jo Hollowood, Branwen Gwyn and Rosemary Grogan.
We hope you’ll raise a glass to us as we look forward to many more years, many more megawatts of clean, green energy, and (fingers crossed) a few more operational renewables projects built before the end of the decade!
Diolch i bawb am eich cefnogaeth.