13. Will the Minister outline how the Welsh government’s energy policies will lead to the diversification of the energy mix? OAQ(5)0045(ERA)

During the transition to a low-carbon economy, our policies support a diverse energy mix in Wales, which delivers an affordable secure supply to protect the most vulnerable in society at a cost that does not threaten industry and jobs.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. My region has been blighted by the industrialisation of wind energy as a result of TAN 8 and is being targeted for unconventional gas extraction. We will also play host to the world’s first tidal lagoon. We need a truly diverse energy mix, but renewable technology should not be treated like twentieth century power plants. Cabinet Secretary, do you agree with me that renewables have an important role to play in meeting our future energy needs, but that schemes have to be local community-backed, small-scale projects rather than large renewable power plants?

Well, we are supportive of appropriately sited large energy investments, and that includes our onshore renewables and marine, as well as the low-carbon environmental goods and services sector. Again, I think we’ve got a really good news story here in Wales, and I work with my Cabinet colleagues under the framework set out in the Environment (Wales) Act 2016 to plan the transition to a low-carbon society in Wales, and that includes actions to decarbonise our energy sector.