Speaking with Will Bramble at the chief executive's office in County Hall, it becomes apparent that this is a man with an intricately-toned determination to make his county of Pembrokeshire succeed.

And given his antecedent history, this comes as no surprise.

This, after all, is the man who for three decades built on an extensive military career where he served as Major General and Deputy Commander of the NATO Corps in Italy as well as chief of staff of the ARRC (Allied Rapid Reaction Corps). The ARRC is one of NATO’s High Readiness Forces which is able to deploy to disaster zones around the world at short notice and comprises troops for 23 NATO member states.

“Build and they will come,” he repeats, with that highly measured and undiluted clarity which so defines Bramble's diction.

“If we don’t take these bold steps towards leading the green energy revolution, we won’t be doing right. Pembrokeshire has always been forward thinking and what we’re currently working towards is just another evolution for the county.”

Two days prior to our interview, Will Bramble witnessed the transformational Celtic Freeport bid being submitted to the Welsh and UK governments for consideration before their conclusion is announced in early Spring 2023.

The bid, which covers the ports of Milford Haven and Port Talbot, is being seen as a means of delivering an accelerated route towards Wales’s net zero economy. With it will come an estimated 16,000 new jobs as well as a £5.5 billion new investment package.

“Yes, it’s a challenging concept, not least because we still don’t know how many bids there currently are in Wales,” said Will Bramble.

“But the underpinning rationale behind the Celtic Freeport is to provide a catalyst for a net zero economy, both nationally and regionally.

"South West Wales is the second biggest carbon emitter in the UK, Port Talbot as a result of the steel industry and Milford Haven as a result of the oil. And so we have to decarbonise.

“The other aspect that affects both Pembrokeshire and Port Talbot is that both counties have some of the highest levels of deprivation and child poverty in Wales.”

Will Bramble’s forward-thinking and strategic mindset soon begins to emerge.

“One ought to contextualise what’s going on in Pembrokeshire at the moment.

“This is a county of great natural beauty and rich history going back centuries to ship building and energy. There has also been a strong agricultural market and of course a growing tourism market which has gone from strength to strength with the ‘staycation’ effect.

“But all of this together brings real frictions and challenges, not least homelessness and the shortageof social housing.  And the juxtaposition between prosperity and poverty here in Pembrokeshire is something that people are feeling deeply uncomfortable about.

“As a result, we have to look at five, ten and 15 year horizons and how to adopt our policies to make sure that things get done.”

The Celtic Freeport’s ultimate aim is to accelerate significant international investment in new manufacturing facilities to support greener industries, led by the roll-out of floating offshore wind from the Celtic Sea. This will be augmented by what the bid has labelled ‘the backbone for a cleaner future’ based on an increased hydrogen economy, sustainable fuels, carbon capture, cleaner steel and low-carbon logistics.

“I have absolutely no doubt that if the bid is successful, people will be queuing up to invest here, and already it’s attracting a huge amount of interest.

“The whole purpose of the bid is to set ourselves up for the future and become a custodian of UK energy.”