Welsh Conservatives have welcomed the UK Conservative Government’s plans to accelerate the use of homegrown power in Britain.
The plan includes:
- Offshore wind: A new ambition of up to 50GW by 2030 – more than enough to power every home in the UK – of which we would like to see up to 5GW from floating offshore wind in deeper seas. This will be underpinned by new planning reforms to cut the approval times for new offshore wind farms from 4 years to 1 year and an overall streamlining which will radically reduce the time it takes for new projects to reach construction stages while improving the environment.
- Oil and gas: A licensing round for new North Sea oil and gas projects planned to launch in Autumn, with a new taskforce providing bespoke support to new developments – recognising the importance of these fuels to the transition and to our energy security, and that producing gas in the UK has a lower carbon footprint than imported from abroad.
- Onshore wind: The Government will be consulting on developing partnerships with a limited number of supportive communities who wish to host new onshore wind infrastructure in return for guaranteed lower energy bills.
- Heat pump manufacturing: The Government will run a Heat Pump Investment Accelerator Competition in 2022 worth up to £30 million to make British heat pumps, which reduce demand for gas.
The Conservative UK Government will also look to increase the UK’s current 14GW of solar capacity which could grow up to five times by 2035, consulting on the rules for solar projects, particularly on domestic and commercial rooftops.
Together with the Net Zero Strategy, this plan will build on the Conservative UK Government’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, which will drive an unprecedented £100 billion worth of private sector investment into renewable energy across the United Kingdom.
The Wylfa nuclear project in Anglesey also features in the Conservative UK Government’s Energy Security Strategy benefitting from the £120 million Nuclear Enabling Fund launching this month.
Commenting on the announcement, Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies MS said:
“This plan to boost Britain’s energy security is a welcome move. Not only will this protect households from market volatility but will also help combat climate change.
“I’m pleased to see that Wylfa nuclear power station in Anglesey will play a part in this project, demonstrating the Conservative Government’s commitment to Wales, bringing investment and jobs to Anglesey.
“Drakeford’s Labour Government must take responsibility and use devolved levers to combat both climate change and the rising cost of living crisis here in Wales.
“Labour ministers need to support energy projects in Wales by drastically reducing planning time for renewable energy projects and providing business rates relief for small scale hydro projects.”
