5. Statement by the Minister for Climate Change: Public Sector Role in the Future Energy System

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:05 pm on 25 October 2022.

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Photo of Janet Finch-Saunders Janet Finch-Saunders Conservative 4:05, 25 October 2022

Thank you, Minister, for your statement. It's really good to see that you're going forward in terms of looking at projects that can actually help us towards our ambitions of carbon zero, as well as putting more money back into the local economy. Now, currently, you do have a Welsh Government energy service. This has supported 242 projects, saving 716,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from being emitted, whilst generating £322 million in local income and savings. From your statement, that is the bit that really stood out for me about an announcement of a Welsh state developer and new projects on Welsh Government land that will be then commercially developed in 2024. I suppose, going back to the current Welsh Government energy service, how will this work with the new one that you're setting up, because, in 2021, only five renewable energy projects were supported by the service? So, do you agree with me that, this service, if that's going to keep running, should be challenged to increase the numbers of renewable energy projects that it supports?

Also, £5.34 million-worth of projects are being discontinued after securing finance, so the report actually states that the schemes were not built, but there is no clarity as to what has happened to the millions that were invested. So, maybe you could just elaborate on that further. Will you liaise with the service to establish what has happened to that? The auditor general published a report on the public sector's readiness to meet the net-zero 2030 target in August 2022, so there is uncertainty within the sector as to whether they can meet the net-zero target.

Now just 10.4 per cent of our public sector bodies in Wales are confident that they're going to meet the 2030 target, and a further 40 per cent of public bodies neither agreed or disagreed with this statement. So, how are you confident that they're going to meet the sector's target? And another question: two months have passed since the warning shot that 90 per cent of public bodies could miss the 2030 net-zero target, so what steps are you taking to address this?

Interestingly, the health sector are accounting for approximately a third of public sector emissions in Wales. The NHS Wales decarbonisation strategy delivery plan has set a target of 34 per cent reduction in carbon emissions, but the reality is that, if only a 34 per cent reduction from them is achieved, it will then be difficult for the public sector to deliver on its overall net-zero target. So, what steps will you do, how will you work with the Minister for health and social care to see a more challenging target set by NHS Wales? Others have warned that reaching the target will require additional financial resources, and, of course, the absence of these funds will be a barrier to progress. The main thrust of your statement was about this new development company, so how will that work with the energy service you had, and how will it actually deliver? How confident—?And, I suppose, my final question is: you say in 2024; we've got the climate crisis now, is there any way at all that that might be brought forward? Thank you.