Renewable Energy Projects

Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs – in the Senedd at 2:06 pm on 13 June 2018.

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Photo of Lesley Griffiths Lesley Griffiths Labour 2:06, 13 June 2018

Thank you, Mike Hedges, for that question, and I again repeat: I have to be very careful in what I say about particular projects—I'm very limited, and that, obviously, includes the proposed tidal lagoon for Swansea bay.

I think it's absolutely vital that costs of tidal lagoon power are compared with other technologies on a fair basis—I think you make a very important point—and you have to take into full account the very long life of lagoons, and all other environmental and social effects. The issue of considering the costs, energy outputs and strike price of any energy project is, of course, not a devolved matter, and therefore I think it would be more appropriate for the UK Government, really, to explain the rationale behind the recent comparisons to Hinkley Point C.

In respect of the comments about Calder Hall, again, nuclear policy decommissioning is a reserved matter, so the UK Government would have to explain their views and how they reached those decisions. We've not been party to any detailed discussions with the UK Government and the promoters of tidal lagoon power, for instance, so we don't know how the cost of the lagoon power compares to other options that they are considering.