6. Plaid Cymru Debate: Establishing a Publicly Owned Energy Company

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:14 pm on 6 June 2018.

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Photo of David Melding David Melding Conservative 4:14, 6 June 2018

I think the real issue is the extent of what Plaid Cymru are calling for: what would it amount to? And I noticed in your spring conference, Adam Price was a bit more candid, calling for a connected Wales, creating an national energy grid with a national energy company connecting locally owned electricity-generating companies in every part of Wales. Now, it does seem to me that this company would be taking over the operations of the National Grid. How can any private energy supplier hope to compete with a nationalised company providing such unfair institutional advantages? These proposals, it seems to me, go a lot further than what you put before the Assembly last week. Now, that's fine, you're developing your policy, and it's your absolute right, but I have to say this vision of the happy salad days of when all utilities were public, and nationalised, most of them, and created effective investment, a good level of service and low prices is, frankly, a load of hooey.