The EirGrid East West Interconnector, an electricity link between Wales and Ireland, has been awarded a grant of €110m (£100m) by the European Commission. The 260km-long link, which is being developed by EirGrid, will allow power to move in both directions, enhancing the security of supply to both nations. Construction will start on the project this summer, and it is due to complete in 2012.

The contract for the next stage of dualling of the A465 has been awarded to Carillion, deputy first minister Ieuan Wyn Jones announced this week. Carillion will design and build the dualling on the Heads of the Valleys route between Brynmawr and Tredegar, while environmental support will be provided by Arup and TACP. This is the first government contract to set targets through the JobMatch scheme, goaling contractors on using Heads of the Valleys labour. The scheme aims to move 10,000 people into employment over the next five years.

A cross-border alliance of local authorities and development agencies is to campaign for a high-speed rail (HSR) line from London to South Wales. The Great Western Partnership is focusing its campaign on the benefits HSR would have for the knowledge economy and employment growth in Wales and the South West. The group includes Cardiff Council, South East Wales Economic Forum, South West Wales Economic Forum and South East Wales Transport Alliance.

Training provider ITEC Training has opened a network of centres in Gwent, from which it will deliver the UK government’s Flexible New Deal (FND) for the long-term unemployed. Building on its training centres in Newport, Cwmbran and Abergavenny, ITEC will deliver the FND, a one-year mandatory programme of job search support for people who have been out of work for longer than 12 months, on a five-year contract. ITEC has closed its former offices in High Street, Newport and transferred 13 staff to the Business Exchange building.

Draft recommendations for changes to the planning application process were published for consultation this week, in hope that the process will become more supportive of a sustainable economic recovery in Wales. The consultation forms part of a review announced by Jane Davidson, environment, sustainability and housing minister, in August 2009. The report was informed by evidence from local planning authorities. GVA Grimley has published the report on its websites and is inviting people to take part in the four-week consultation.

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