Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:03 pm on 18 October 2022.
I thank the First Minister for that response. I do accept that there is significant blame here on Westminster, and that they must step up and compensate those companies and ensure their survival. I have just a few examples. In Dolgellau, we've seen Caffi'r Sgwar closing, the steakhouse closing, the deli closing. The Brondanw Arms in Llanfrothen has closed. Caffi Derfel in Penrhyndeudraeth has closed. Those are just some examples of the businesses in my constituency that have closed over the past few weeks, and there are others considering closure between now and the new year.
These businesses are closing because of energy costs. One business said that they had received a bill now of £7,000 per month up to £70,000 a month for energy. It's entirely unsustainable. But if you think of Brondanw in Llanfrothen, for example, a stone's throw from the Maentwrog and Ffestiniog hydro plant, these produce many gigawatts per year, and that energy is leaving the community, not for community benefit, but for the benefit of others. So, given that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, through Magnox, own the hydro plant in Maentwrog, do you agree with me that this resource should be transferred to the community, as a community holding, so that the community can benefit from these hydro plants?