Air Quality

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Climate Change – in the Senedd at 2:14 pm on 18 May 2022.

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Photo of Darren Millar Darren Millar Conservative 2:14, 18 May 2022

Clean air is not just about the pollution that we have from road traffic, Deputy Minister, it's also pollution from other places, such as industrial plants. The Glasdir estate in Ruthin has been plagued in recent years with poor air quality as a result of the operation of nearby combined heat and power plants by Newbridge Energy Limited. And, regretfully, just very recently, in recent days, Natural Resources Wales has given a permit to operate a second combined heat and power plant from the same location, doubling, effectively, the emissions that go into the local atmosphere. The residents on that estate want to know what action the Welsh Government is going to take in order to make sure that that decision can be either unpicked or that the effective and efficient operation of those plants is properly monitored by Natural Resources Wales to ensure that they don't have to face continuous problems, which they feel are going to impact their health. Given that this is both a public health matter as well, I would like to know what engagement the Welsh Government has between the departments, and with NRW, to make sure that these sorts of schemes, the cumulative impact is considered, and that these sorts of schemes don't proceed where there are already concerns about pollution.