I'm pleased to be able to speak in this important debate today. Over the next 10 years, we need to see serious action taken to address the climate emergency and, of course, a move to renewable energy. But, we must be sure to highlight that green hydrogen is very different to blue or grey hydrogen and that they should not be treated the same. To quote the former chair of the UK Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association,

'I believe passionately that I would be betraying future generations by remaining silent on that fact that blue hydrogen is at best an expensive distraction, and at worst a lock-in for continued fossil fuel use that guarantees we will fail to meet our decarbonisation goals'.

Mr Jackson's statement has been corroborated by a recent peer-reviewed study on blue hydrogen from Cornell and Stanford universities, which concluded that, even with carbon capture, blue hydrogen is dirtier than simply burning natural gas. It is along these lines that I feel I must use today's debate to air my concerns about the proposed HyNet hydrogen and carbon capture storage in north Wales.

The project promotes the continued use of fossil fuels to produce hydrogen and to use carbon capture, which in itself is strongly intensive, to store the carbon dioxide released. It could make Wales the exhaust pipe for Cheshire businesses and have a local and global environmental impact. There are currently just a handful of commercially working carbon capture schemes, and all have problems. The main issue beside cost is leakages, whether from pipes or natural storage. Where leaks occur, they are easy to hide, particularly under the sea bed. I attended a HyNet meeting and a geologist was there, and he raised concerns at that meeting. I have not been in touch with him since about it, but I just wanted to pass on those concerns. 

Already, the increased carbon dioxide taken up in the oceans is having a major effect on animal life, due to acidification, which is on top of the global rise in sea temperature. The proposed plans could worsen habitat loss and threaten marine biodiversity further. I have also been warned that blue hydrogen can be unstable and combustible, dispensing methane into the air. I feel more detailed research is needed into the possible environmental risks of the mass carbon capture and storage proposed by the project, because I'm not an expert, it's just what I'm being told. However, fundamentally, we should be encouraging the decarbonisation of industry and homes here in Wales. The appeal of this project appears to be the ability to continue with life as usual, advertising that household appliances and boilers would not need replacing, undermining the goal of retrofitting.

Carbon capture is a short-term solution to the climate emergency, when the focus ought to be on achieving long-term sustainability, and any hydrogen strategy must have a focus on green hydrogen. I also would like to raise concerns that have been shared with me recently regarding capacity for increased renewable energy. The ageing National Grid infrastructure is already struggling to cope with increased electricity use and production, with households in my region unable to connect up their solar panels. Serious consideration needs to be given to how we can significantly improve energy infrastructure across the UK to cope with the transition to renewable forms of energy production and the surges that they produce. Thank you, Llywydd, and I welcome being able to raise my concerns here today in the Senedd.