Diolch. The impact of climate change is all too evident, and Wales is at the forefront of addressing the challenges of decarbonising energy generation, with policies and support for renewable energy. Plans for a publicly owned renewable energy developer ensure profits created in Wales will develop greater benefit for residents with profits reinvested in improving energy efficiency in homes in Wales and creating good-quality, home-grown, clean energy jobs, a stark contrast from the UK Government, which will continue to focus on fossil fuel extraction while failing to tackle the impact of rising energy costs on household budgets. The UK's political parties should be showing the world how to build a safe, secure and resilient net-zero energy system, using indigenous renewable energy sources, not misleading its population into believing that nuclear is needed to meet baseload power or the lights will go out.

The UK's offshore wind resources alone exceed net zero and foreseeable UK energy demand, and we could look at green hydrogen as a storage solution. Investment in the £12 million engineering centre of excellence at Coleg Llandrillo's Rhyl campus is further evidence of the Welsh Government's commitment to the renewable energy sector. The centre there will become a hub for delivering world-class education and training in engineering, with the latest specialised equipment, and will be a new institute for renewable energy technology, in partnership with RWE Renewables. A main feature of this will be a three-floor-high industrial-scale wind turbine servicing and maintenance hall, which is fantastic. It's brilliant we have this facility to provide local people in north Wales with the relevant skills to work on renewable projects in north Wales and beyond.

As the First Minister raised yesterday, the UK Government needs to invest in the national grid, which should be renationalised. It's currently not fit for purpose, with billions of profits creamed off for shareholders each year. That money should be reinvested into the grid to improve capacity, to allow for the hundreds of renewable projects currently on hold to go ahead. But what happens should the winds not blow and energy demands remain high? There were two periods in 2021 when the supply of wind energy collapsed for 10 days, forcing the national grid to buy electricity from Belgium, at the highest price Britain has ever paid to keep power flowing. Tidal lagoons, such as the north Wales tidal lagoon, and the Swansea lagoon, should be part of the energy mix to address these problems. The tide is totally reliable, as is the electricity it will generate.

This one project in north Wales could generate enough power for virtually every home in Wales, underpinning intermittent supplies of energy from wind and solar, and, unlike a nuclear power station, tidal lagoons are low technology and low cost. Given investment and support, the north Wales tidal lagoon could be up and running in 10 years—many years before a nuclear plant—with an operating life of over 120 years, and no challenging decommissioning residue. The coastal defence offered by the lagoon will protect millions of properties and infrastructure, benefiting generations to come, while mitigating the need for substantial coastal defence works by Welsh Government, who have already had to invest billions of pounds in it. It could provide a huge boost to the north Wales economy and its ability to meet the challenges of climate change and create thousands of jobs. 

The initial investment in a tidal lagoon would, at first glance, seem high. However, given that the asset created has an ultra-long operating life—twice as long as a nuclear plant and four times that of a windfarm—any investment needed truly provides excellent value and return of capital when compared to other energy projects. I would like to note, however, the expected expansion of off-shore windfarms, and tidal energy across the world could have significant environmental impacts, and those need to be carefully understood and monitored. I attended an RSPB event showing sea birds having to cope with an accumulation of wind turbines, boats, and other structures at sea, so we need a co-ordinated marine spatial plan. I trust that Welsh Government understands these risks, and will treat the nature crisis that we seriously face while deciding the future of our renewable energy production. Thank you.