Thank you, Llywydd. I’m pleased to move the motion in the name of Plaid Cymru, which puts forward evidence on the establishment of an independent energy company for Wales. In beginning the debate, I’d like to highlight the fact that we, as Plaid Cymru, have published a research paper on the issue and have used the Assembly’s research and communication policy fund. The paper is attached to the debate. I very much hope that Members of all parties will read the paper, to criticise it or to agree with it, or whatever. I think it is important that we use Assembly resources to build the evidence base for our debates and to disseminate information. If anyone wants a hard copy, I’d be more than happy to provide one to you.

It’s true to say that Plaid Cymru has always been in favour of an independent energy company for Wales, but the evidence for that has increased over the past few years. Perhaps the main shift in this area was the report of the environment committee in a previous Assembly that identified the opportunity for an energy company for Wales to do a great deal to close the gap in terms of fuel poverty, to invest in new forms of energy, particularly renewable and hydrogen, and also to identify opportunities to challenge the current trading climate in energy.

Underpinning the situation is that fundamental question: does the current energy market work for the everyday resident, does it work for business, and does it work in terms of long-term investment in the kind of energy industry that we want to see in Wales? Plaid Cymru is of the opinion that the answer to those three questions is, ‘No, the current system isn’t working’, and we need at least one more mover in the current system to make things more lively. That opinion is shared by the Labour Party—well, at least the Corbyn Labour Party, because that Labour Party has put in its manifesto for the general election on 8 June a call for an independent energy company in all regions. They use the word ‘region’—and I think Labour sees Wales as a region; it’s a nation for us, of course—but that’s why I was surprised to see that the Labour Party here had tabled an amendment watering down our requests and undermining what they are saying and what their own party is standing on in this election. But that is a matter for them to explain, and I’m sure that they will do so in due time.

There’s no doubt that the current market system is damaging Wales. Low-income households are, of course, particularly badly affected by high energy costs, and this is common to all parties now. The Labour Party proposed a cap on energy prices two years ago, and that was derided by the Conservative Party at the time, but now it’s the Conservatives who are proposing a cap on energy prices. But that is something that is a temporary fix; it’s not tackling the fundamental problem in the market. That’s what we’re proposing here—something long term that would actually intervene in that market.

Here in Wales, where 23 per cent of homes are believed to be in fuel poverty, and 3 per cent—which is quite a small percentage, but a large number—are in severe fuel poverty, paying more than 20 per cent of their income on energy costs. That puts you in a very difficult position indeed. What’s interesting is when you compare that with the rest of Britain, because only 11 per cent of homes in England are considered to be in fuel poverty.

Now, in the past, and possibly today as well, some may argue that moving towards renewable energy has increased prices, and that we are responsible, in a way, for arguing for an energy system that is less reliant on carbon because that will raise energy prices for our poorest customers. But what’s interesting is that energy prices in Wales are far higher than they are in the rest of the UK. But we produce less renewable energy than the rest of the UK, so the percentage of electricity produced by renewable sources in Wales at the moment is some 20 per cent; in Scotland, it is double that, over 42 per cent; in Northern Ireland, it is 26 per cent; and even in England, it is some 2 per cent higher than Wales. Therefore, there is no clear link between energy production using renewable sources and the price paid by customers. The market is far more complex than that and the fact is that we are storing up problems for the future as we continue with an energy distribution system that is very centralised, that isn’t distributed at a local level, is not devolved in that sense, and isn’t therefore appropriate for the kind of energy production that we will very soon see developing. One of those is something we’ve already discussed with the Cabinet Secretary—the shift towards vehicles of all kinds running on electricity, or certainly hydrogen, particularly in terms of transport.

The tidal lagoon is something we are very supportive of, and we’re disappointed that it isn’t being reflected in the UK manifesto of the Conservative Party, although it’s in the manifesto of all other parties. But developing a tidal lagoon, particularly developing tidal lagoons in north Wales and the Bristol channel, requires a more localised distribution centre where local people see more benefit from the investment made in renewable energy. Now, although more is to be devolved to Wales in terms of energy planning consents, up to 350 MW, it is true to say that the funding systems underpinning energy developments of all kinds will remain in London. In that context, too, the establishment of an energy company for Wales will be, in our opinion, of benefit.

So, what could such a company do? Well, broadly speaking, the report that we’ve commissioned looks at how a company could bulk buy, so buying energy on behalf of customers in Wales and passing on the savings in that context to those customers. We’re looking at how an energy company could be a vehicle to provide some of the other objectives of the Welsh Government, for example insulation, improving housing quality, energy efficiency and so on. We would use this company as a vehicle for those improvements, and the company could be an envelope for investment in renewable energy. I don’t think it’s broadly recognised that the Welsh Government is already investing, to be fair to it, in renewable energy. I think they have an investment in a solar farm in Monmouthshire somewhere—I think some millions of pounds were invested there. We’re also seeing a number of local communities coming together to invest locally—menter Awel Aman Tawe is a very good example of that, and I congratulate them on reaching their target of over £5 million just this week. But surely it would be better if a national company would co-ordinate these deals, and get better deals in the market, in the city, for investment, and in turn pass on those benefits to the customer.

Now, a national energy company could also lead research—[Interruption.]

Yn wir. Fe ildiaf, gwnaf.