7. Plaid Cymru Debate: Hydrogen strategy

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:38 pm on 15 June 2022.

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Photo of Samuel Kurtz Samuel Kurtz Conservative 5:38, 15 June 2022

I can assure the Member from Ynys Môn that I am fizzing with excitement about the possibilities of hydrogen. As we transition towards a sustainable future, debates just like this are key to the development of greener, brighter and cleaner futures. Every industry has a part to play in this transition, and the beauty about hydrogen technology is that existing energy infrastructure projects can become important components in the future energy developments. This is especially the case in Pembrokeshire and the wider south Wales region. We are slap bang in the middle of an incredibly exciting time for the clean energy industry. There are numerous sizeable developments in the pipeline, all of which are basing their operations here in Wales. Two of these key players are the Haven Waterway future energy cluster and Milford Haven: Energy Kingdom—key critical strategic national energy assets, key economic gateways on Wales's west coast. The cluster have set out a series of proposals that are set to help support an accelerated low-carbon pathway for this important industrial centre. This means jobs for local people, investment in our communities, but, most importantly, a step closer to cheaper and cleaner renewable energy. This is where the Welsh Government's aspiration should be aimed.

These organisations are standing ready to expand upon existing grid capacity, incentivising the production and use of low-carbon fuels, as well as supporting the Milford Haven waterway SuperPlace ambition, which includes the development and use of hydrogen technology, both blue and green. In total, the Haven energy cluster anticipate that they can produce about one fifth of the 10 GW of low-carbon hydrogen 2030 target for the UK, with Pembrokeshire central to its development. To achieve this, we must become pragmatic and recognise that these changes cannot happen at the flick of a switch, which is why our optimisation of blue hydrogen is very important to our transition and shouldn't be ignored. Therefore, I disagree with the Member for North Wales's assumptions around blue hydrogen; I think if we are looking to maximise hydrogen creation, blue needs to be involved in that transition. By using—