An amusement park and two prawn farms are among the first of a flood of new Chinese investments expected to be unveiled in the coming days.
The deals, believed to be worth £5.2 billion, are to be signed by the China-based SinoFortune investment arm during President Xi’s state visit.
The biggest single investment will involve two power stations in Port Talbot and Holyhead being built to a design that allows the wasted heat to be used to warm water for prawn farming. It will be the first time king prawns have ever been cultivated here. The project is believed to be worth £2 billion.
Other fish, such as dover sole, will also be farmed and the process will also be used to grow vegetables, according to the BBC.
The investment in Orthios Eco Parks depends on more than half the materials for the new plants being sourced from China. However, it will create more than 1,000 jobs in the UK.
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The group is also committing an initial £100m towards a £3.2 billion project to build the Paramount Pictures theme park, in Ebbsfleet, Kent, with work due to finish in 2020.
“We have spent five years researching and developing this model and the investment from China will help us roll it out across the planet,” said Sean McCormick from Orthios.
“China’s focus on green energy and its ability to takáe a long-term view [was instrumental in securing the deal].”
Sino Fortune Group is a private company with Chinese state funding, which this summer announced a £250 million deal with The London Group to invest in British tourism infrastructure.