Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:01 pm on 6 December 2016.
Thank you, Simon Thomas. As I said in my answers to David Melding, I do think we will need targets and I’m very happy to bring those forward, perhaps in the next statement or via a written statement. But I want to make sure those targets are realistic and pragmatic, and I saw some very ambitious targets by some countries, or by some states and regions particularly, in the meetings that I had. I’ve discussed with them how they got there; I think there’s a lot of work to do to make sure that we can do it also. But Wales has absolutely been at the forefront of this agenda, and it’s really important that we stay up there. So, we need to make sure that those targets are realistic and pragmatic, but I will be bringing forward targets, particularly for renewable energy.
I think you’re quite right about car parking and planning and it’s very fortunate that energy and planning are in my portfolio, because I can make sure that the two align. Certainly, in building regulations, there’s a big job that we can do to aid our low-carbon transition there.
On hydrogen trains, I think definitely the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure is obviously looking at the use of those, going forward, for the south Wales metro. In relation to opencast mines and coal, absolutely, I’m happy to rule out the expansion of that. I do recognise, obviously, that coal continues to have an important role to play in the current energy mix, but we know that countries phase it out very quickly and we don’t want to be left behind. So, it’s really important that we support that transition. And, yes, as I said, the UK Government is consulting on ending the use of coal by 2025. I absolutely agree with that. I’m going to go out to consultation and it could be that, again, we’ll end earlier than 2025, but I’ll be preparing that consultation going forward.
In relation to marine energy, I do think there’s a huge opportunity, and I was very disappointed that we haven’t had the Hendry review report yet. I met with Charles Hendry, alongside Ken Skates, several months ago now, and I had hoped by now that we would be in a position to know the outcome of that. You’ll be aware that I’m bringing forward the marine plan next summer, and I think that will aid companies that want to bring forward marine energy when they know what the proposals are there.
In relation to an energy company, we are exploring the potential for not-for-profit energy companies in Wales, but I think we need to be very clear about the purpose of such a company. It could tackle energy prices, it could address issues of trust in providers, it could help with the market of Welsh generators, for instance, or even all those things. But I think it’s unlikely that one single model could tackle all of those issues. I know we’ve got several local authorities looking at action in this area and I’m going to have discussions with them. I’m very happy to work with anybody who is interested in that idea, if you wanted to discuss it with me further. I think it’s important that we have clarification on how Welsh Government could add value in that area. I think, at the moment, the robust case for a single not-for-profit company is not that clear for me, but I am very interested in pursuing the idea.