Joyce visits Dragon LNG on women in engineering day

Senedd Member Joyce Watson marked International Women in Engineering Day (23 June) with a visit to Dragon LNG’s new solar farm.

Located at the operator’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Milford Haven, the project is part of the site’s transition to renewable energy, as it aims to become Net Zero by 2029.

Speaking after the visit, the Labour Mid and West Wales politician said:

“Today is International Women in Engineering Day. But in the UK only 16.5% of engineers are women. Three quarters of our STEM (science, technology, engineering, and maths) workforce are men – and only 20 per cent of women science graduates go on to STEM careers, compared with 44 per cent of men.

“Girls generally outperform boys in science GCSEs and A-levels, but that success is not translating into careers.

“It’s not just a gender imbalance problem. Britain is short of 173,000 STEM workers – it costs the UK economy £1.5 billion a year. We cannot afford to waste female talent and potential.

“That is why initiatives like the Engineering Education Scheme Wales, which encourages girls from year 8 up to contact employers and higher education institutions, are so important – helping girls make informed choices about their options.

“Climate change, food security, global pandemics – the big challenges we face demand STEM-based solutions. We need more women to help solve them.

Mrs Watson, who chairs the Welsh Parliament’s cross-party construction group, added:

“Dragon LNG, through its award-winning Darwin project, is doing fantastic work with Pembrokeshire College, the Pembrokeshire Education Authority and local stakeholders to engage around 3,500 learners every year – over 70,000 since it started in 2005.

“This month, Lamphey School pupils will take part in the company’s first renewables workshop. I hope it inspires the next generation of STEM specialists – boys and girls.”