5. Will the Minister make a statement on the use of greener fuels in Wales? OQ56391

Thank you. We have committed Wales to ambitious net-zero emissions targets. This requires transforming how we fuel our cars, heat our homes and generate our electricity. Hydrogen has great potential to be an important part of the decarbonised energy mix, and we are working to understand and demonstrate its potential. 

Thank you. Well, in last week's UK budget, the Chancellor announced more than £93 million of investment to turbo-charge a green recovery in Wales and accelerate the creation of nearly 13,000 jobs here. This includes accelerated funding for the north Wales growth deal, which includes the Morlais tidal demonstration zone off the coast of Anglesey, and extra funding for a new hydrogen hub at the port of Holyhead, being managed and developed by Menter Môn, the social enterprise behind the tidal demonstration project, whose managing director said:

'This is excellent news and a huge boost to the project in Holyhead.... With the increasing focus on decarbonisation the aim will be to create green hydrogen from renewables including from Morlais, our own tidal stream energy project off the coast of Holy Island.'

The UK budget also included millions for the development of both energy storage technologies and new technologies and products that will feed into the establishment and roll-out of the floating offshore wind industry. How is, or will, Welsh Government engage with these projects to maximise the opportunity for Wales that they represent?

Thank you. Well, we were certainly very pleased to see funding directed towards the Holyhead hydrogen project that Welsh Government has been supporting in the UK Government's budget on 3 March, and I certainly look forward to continuing to work with Menter Môn to maximise the opportunities for hydrogen in Holyhead, and building on, I think, the exemplary work that has already been carried out there. 

Welsh Government published a hydrogen pathway for Wales on 18 January for consultation, and again we are seeking responses to strategic questions relating to any future proposals for hydrogen development in Wales, and I would encourage Members to forward responses by 9 April and to encourage anyone they think would be interested in this. Obviously, then, the new Government can publish a summary of responses. That will then inform the proposed hydrogen pathway, along with an integrated impact assessment. I have to say, I think offshore wind is really exciting, and, over the last couple of years, we have seen a great deal of interest, particularly in north-west Wales, from developers. And tomorrow I am—. This is a meeting I'm having tomorrow with my colleague Ken Skates, again, meeting with people who are very interested in bringing this technology to Wales following the Crown Estate's recent announcement.

Minister, while it's vital that we decarbonise our energy and transport infrastructure as quickly as possible, it's also equally important that we don't create other problems in our bid to cut carbon emissions. While biomass is carbon neutral, it can also create problems with air quality due to increased release of particulates. The move to electric transport will both tackle rising carbon dioxide and air quality, but will lead to an increase in e-waste and demand for metals, which are mined at a huge cost to our fragile ecology. Minister, what steps are your Government taking to ensure that decarbonisation does not lead to ecological damage elsewhere? Diolch.

Thank you. Caroline Jones makes a very important point. It is always really important that, when you look at how we decarbonise, not just our energy or our homes—. It's completely a cross-Government issue, and I meet regularly with my ministerial colleagues to ensure that whatever is in their portfolio that can help us reach our net-zero carbon targets is the correct way to go. You'll be aware that we have recently received advice from the Climate Change Committee on how we can reach net zero by 2050, and last month I laid regulations in the Senedd to formally commit Wales, for the first time, to legally binding targets that deliver the goal of our net-zero emissions. So, we have to reduce our emissions across all sectors, and, again, the Climate Change Committee, in its advice to me, highlighted the importance of improvements to fuel efficiency, for instance, in their scenarios, through cost-effective technologies and design improvements.