5. Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Community benefits of energy projects

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:19 pm on 13 October 2021.

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Photo of Rhun ap Iorwerth Rhun ap Iorwerth Plaid Cymru 3:19, 13 October 2021

(Translated)

Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I'm very grateful to the Business Committee in the first instance for giving me the opportunity to set out this motion before the Senedd today, and I'm also grateful to the Members who have supported the motion in front of us.

It's a very timely debate, I think. We are just before the beginning of COP26 in Glasgow. Later on today, Plaid Cymru will lead a debate on the energy sector and the nature and climate crisis.

Point 1 in the motion asks us to note the importance of renewable energy in our efforts to reduce our carbon footprint. I don’t think anybody's going to disagree with that. Energy, the way that we use energy, the way that we save energy, distribute it, and, yes, the way that we generate it, are issues that are at the heart of how successful we are going to be in the battle against climate change. But our relationship with energy is also at the heart of our daily lives, and I will be arguing this afternoon that it can have a major impact on the kinds of communities we live in.