The Welsh Conservative Party

Unit 5
Pro-copy Business Centre
Parc Ty Gas
Llanishen
Cardiff
CF14 5DU

Y Blaid Geidwadol Gymreig

Uned 5
Canolfan Busnes Pro-copy
Rt Hon Theresa May MP Parc Tŷ Glas
Prime Minister Llanisien
Caerdydd
10 Downing Street CF14 5DU
London
Tel/Ffôn: +44 (0)29 2073 6562
SW1A 2AA E-mail/E-bost: info@welshconservatives.com
Web/Gwefan: www.welshconservatives.com

September 2017
Dear Prime Minister,

Your support and commitment to Wales since taking office last year has been absolute. This
Government’s pledge to the Union, making a Britain and Wales that works for everyone is
something Welsh Conservatives are proud to support and be a part of.

We now have the opportunity to deliver together an incredibly popular major infrastructure
investment here in Wales, and in so doing launch a world-leading industry that fuels a thriving
and prosperous United Kingdom outside of the European Union.

The Hendry Review concluded that backing the £1.3 billion Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon is a
‘no regrets policy’, costing households less than the price of a pint of milk each year and in a
single step, opens up the very real prospect of generating power from the UK’s abundant tidal
resource at prices that can compete with, if not outperform, existing large-scale low carbon
generators.

Before a single stone has been laid or a single lesson learned, the Government’s independent
review of tidal lagoons has verified cost savings that deliver lagoon power equivalent to
£66/MWh. With successive Conservative governments having exceeded all expectations in
shepherding offshore wind costs from £155/MWh to £57.50/MWh, there can be little doubt
that under a Conservative government, the English and Welsh tidal lagoons to follow Swansea
Bay’s pathfinder will achieve costs lower even than envisaged by the Hendry Review.

We will never know the full extent of what can be achieved if we don’t get on and try. Swansea
Bay Tidal Lagoon gives us that chance. We must be bold in our pursuit of a secure, reliable,
clean and diverse power supply for today and for the generations to come. Tidal lagoons may
be fundamentally different to all other energy projects but with Brexit approaching we must
have the confidence to negotiate the challenges and maximise the opportunities that come
with change.

The Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon can revitalise the Welsh economy with a new market for
traditional Welsh manufacturers and industries, a new career path for students and workers
alike, a myriad of new commercial opportunities in leisure, tourism and conservation, and a
positive, far-sighted and forward-thinking statement to the world. Wales has seen the results
of this level of investment in the regeneration of Cardiff Bay which was a triumph of the
Conservative Government of the time. It can happen again and with the Swansea Bay blueprint

Promoted and printed by the Welsh Conservative Party, at Unit 5, Pro-copy Business Centre, Parc Ty Glas, Llanishen, Cardiff, CF14 5DU
established, Cardiff, Newport and north Wales could witness unprecedented levels of private
investment into further tidal lagoon infrastructure.

As you’ll be aware, Welsh Conservatives have been long-time supporters of the Swansea Bay
project, with the Welsh Conservatives in the National Assembly having submitted detailed
evidence to the Hendry Review. We believe that in delivering the Review’s recommendations,
the Conservative Government would show a strong and enduring commitment to Wales, at the
same time presenting new domestic and international opportunities to businesses throughout
the UK.

Wales led the way in the 19th century as an energy economy based on coal. Now we have the
prospect of leading the world in the production of non-carbon renewable energy. Britain can
be an island-nation making the most of its natural tidal resource; investing in reliable future
energy supplies and employing British industry to do so; seizing the opportunity to rejuvenate
coastal communities, bolster flood defences, incubate new commercial and R&D ventures, and
restore, protect and enhance habitats.

We’re now at the crucial phase of this project. We in the Welsh Conservatives look to your
Government to seize the moment and give it your full support.

Yours sincerely,

Byron Davies, Chairman of the Welsh Conservatives

Chris Davies MP
David Jones MP
Simon Hart MP
Andrew RT Davies AM, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the National Assembly
Mohammad Asghar AM
Angela Burns AM
Paul Davies AM
Suzy Davies AM
Janet Finch-Saunders AM
Russell George AM
Mark Isherwood AM
David Melding AM
Darren Millar AM
Nick Ramsay AM
Cllr Peter Fox OBE, Council Leader, Monmouthshire
Cllr John Thomas, Council Leader, Vale of Glamorgan
Cllr Matthew Evans, Conservative Group Leader, Newport
Cllr Tom Giffard, Conservative Group Leader, Bridgend
Cllr Joel James, Conservative Group Leader, Rhondda Cynon Taf
Cllr Lyndon Jones MBE, Conservative Group Leader, Swansea
Cllr Raymond Mills, Conservative Group Leader, Torfaen
Cllr Adrian Robson, Conservative Group Leader, Cardiff
Cllr Robert Summons, Conservative Group Leader, Pembrokeshire