Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I would like to thank my colleague, Janet, for introducing this important debate.

In the midst of an energy crisis caused by Putin’s illegal war, and with dire warnings that 2023 will be the hottest on record as a result of climate change, it is right that we look to foment a green energy revolution in Wales. The war in Ukraine has vividly underlined the need for energy security, highlighting the ease with which a vile dictator can hold an entire region’s heating and lighting hostage. But, it has also shown us just how reliant we are as a nation upon fossil fuels—fossil fuels that predominately come from geopolitically unstable regions, and are contributing massively to climate change.

Wales has felt the effects of global warming in the past week, from widespread flooding and then just days later, snow as well as sub-zero temperatures. Unpredictable extreme weather events are now a frequent occurrence. We therefore have to urgently decarbonise our energy sector, not only for the sake of our bank balances, but for the future of our planet. We need a green revolution that has learnt the lessons of the past. My region has suffered from the previous Welsh Government’s disastrous energy policies, namely technical advice note 5 and the industrial scale onshore windfarms. On the coldest day of 2022, onshore wind met less than 1 per cent of our energy demands. More energy was produced by coal-fired stations. That’s the problem with onshore wind: until we have reliable energy storage, we can't depend upon these huge windfarms spread across the Swansea and Ogmore valleys.

But, there is an alternative: offshore wind and tidal power. South Wales West can reap the benefits of pioneering these renewable technologies. It's an exciting time for the region. Not only do we have the prospect of the Celtic free port, with Port Talbot playing a major role in the development of the Celtic sea floating offshore wind project, we also are likely to see the Blue Eden project come to fruition as part of the Swansea bay city deal. Blue Eden is a groundbreaking project proposed for Swansea's waterfront that will include a newly designed tidal lagoon, featuring state-of-the-art underwater turbines generating 320 MW of renewable energy from the 9.5 km structure. The £1.7 billion project is wholly privately funded and is being led by a Bridgend company, DST Innovations, who believe that the development will create over 2,500 permanent jobs and support a further 16,000 jobs across Wales and the UK. Blue Eden is not just a tidal lagoon. It will also feature a floating solar array and a massive onshore battery plant which will not only produce batteries for renewable energy projects but also store the energy produced by Blue Eden for later use. These are the technologies we should be backing: floating offshore wind; tidal lagoon; and grid-level battery storage. That way my constituents in South Wales West can reap the benefits in terms of jobs and cheaper energy, whereas previously only the wind farm developers prospered. I urge Members to support our motion today. Diolch yn fawr.