6. Debate on the Climate Change, Environment and Infrastructure Committee Report: Renewable energy in Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:29 pm on 19 October 2022.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Llyr Gruffydd Llyr Gruffydd Plaid Cymru 4:29, 19 October 2022

(Translated)

Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd, and thank you to everyone who's contributed. I won't rehearse everything that everyone has said; there's a danger of doing that in closing a debate like this, but I just want to pick up on some of the main themes. Certainly, the messages on licensing and permissions are coming through clearly. Just on marine licensing, I am aware that, in England, the Government is committed to reducing the timetable for licensing to 12 months. We know of examples in Scotland where the Government there have licensed major projects within 11 months. So, we are looking now to the Welsh Government to see exactly where Wales is in this regard, and I was pleased to hear that there will be an announcement on some work that's been done at the end of the year. But, again, it's the end of the year—there's a risk that we're missing out on opportunities here and that the major opportunities taken by other nations around us will have been lost by the time we get to the point where we are ready.

I was going to welcome the statement by the Conservative spokesperson that they are now in favour of the devolution of the Crown Estate. She has now explained that they are not in favour of that. It's clear that u-turns are a characteristic that the Conservatives are very proud of and that's an even quicker u-turn than some of those carried out by Liz Truss in these past weeks. But, there we are, I don't know, some policy—. Well, you can explain the rationale behind your policy and where you stand on that some other time.

There were other contributions that referred to the importance of taking control of the energy future that we want in Wales, rather than others doing that on our behalf, because we see the legacy in terms of coal and other contexts. But, simultaneously, of course, balancing the expansion of renewable energy with halting the decline of biodiversity is something that we're all painfully aware of.

Alun Davies said that, in reality, there isn't a great deal of difference between what the committee is saying and what the Government is saying. The great frustration is that the committee and predecessor committees have been saying this for 10 years and we still have to make the same points. And I do accept that many of those elements are beyond the control of the Welsh Government, and we recognise that. But there is a feeling of joint venture, which Alun mentioned, which I think is something that we should be building upon. But also the real joint venture we want to see is between the Welsh Government and the UK Government in order to unlock the potential that we want to see.

Thank you to Rhun for making specific reference to infrastructure, which is central to what drives much of the vision, and the port of Holyhead—as a regional Member, I can say I agree 100 per cent. As committee chair, I would say that there are ports across Wales that we want to see benefiting from this. But, of course, all of the added value that will come in light of the supply chains and so on—well, that is the goal, isn't it? We want to deliver all the benefits—not just the decarbonisation, but also the economic and social benefits that will emerge. So, delivering one of those isn't success; we have to deliver on all of those fronts.

And the Minister is right, of course, that any kind of assurance in the sector in the climate we find ourselves in with the current state of the UK Government is very challenging indeed. And there are reports that the vote on fracking is going to be some sort of vote of confidence in the Prime Minister. Well, that might be the case, but, for me, more importantly, a vote like that would be a vote of confidence, or lack of confidence, in future generations. Let's forget about individuals, but it would be very significant and it would be a clear statement from the direction of the UK Government that climate change is something that is no longer a priority, and that, as I was saying, less than 12 months since the COP summit.

So, thank you all for your contributions. This is a piece of work that will continue for the committee. We will continue to scrutinise Government in this context and we will continue to be critical when necessary, but also to be supportive in order to deliver our objectives. Thank you.