James Evans has asked the Welsh Government to stop the “industrialisation” of Mid Wales through the erection of wind turbines.
The Brecon and Radnorshire MS said at the Senedd that “green growth” comes at a cost to communities.
He told Economy Secretary, Rebecca Evans, that many people in his constituency are concerned about the industrialisation of Mid Wales by the erection of large-scale wind turbines.
Video from Senedd.tv
The Brecon and Radnorshire MS said at the Senedd that “green growth” comes at a cost to communities.
He told Economy Secretary, Rebecca Evans, that many people in his constituency are concerned about the industrialisation of Mid Wales by the erection of large-scale wind turbines.
Video from Senedd.tv
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00I can all love, James Evans.
00:02Diolch, Presiding Officer.
00:03Cabinet Secretary, you mentioned green growth in your statement,
00:06but green growth does come at a cost to communities.
00:10Many people in Brecon and Radnorshire
00:12are very concerned about the industrialisation of mid Wales
00:15by large-scale wind turbines.
00:17The First Minister and the Prime Minister's visit
00:20to an onshore wind farm caused alarm
00:22to many in my constituency.
00:24And also, Ed Miliband's rhetoric isn't really
00:26helping that either.
00:28Cabinet Secretary, will this Welsh Government
00:31stand up for the people of mid Wales
00:34and stop the industrialisation of the countryside?
00:38Or will you stand with big corporations
00:40and allow wind farms to be put all over my constituency
00:44on the road to net zero?
00:47I think the important point here is
00:50that Welsh Government is on a journey towards net zero,
00:53and renewable energy will absolutely
00:55play an important part of that.
00:57But there are a range of sources of renewable energy.
00:59We've talked a lot this afternoon
01:01about floating offshore wind.
01:03There's more traditional offshore wind, solar.
01:06We haven't really talked much this afternoon,
01:08although I've got a statement on energy next week,
01:10so we might get into that a bit more then,
01:12about community generation and so on.
01:15So, there are a whole range of ways
01:18in which we would go about our journey to net zero
01:21and delivering on our approach to renewable energy.
01:26What is the most important thing, really,
01:27is that communities are always involved and engaged,
01:31and that consultation process is really important.
01:33And I know that consultation can take time.
01:37Developers find the time sometimes frustrating,
01:40but I think that that is something in the system
01:42that we have to absolutely respect
01:44to give communities their chance to have their say,
01:47and then also to make sure that the community benefits
01:50which are aligned to that are sufficient and appropriate.
01:54And I think that's one of the things
01:56that Tradyngwydd Cymru gives us a real opportunity
01:59to consider, and that's community benefits.
02:02So, with Welsh Government developing these projects,
02:05we'll have the opportunity, I think,
02:06to think differently about community benefits,
02:09and I'm keen to hear colleagues' views on that.
02:12And diolch i as go fein.
02:14I thank the Cabinet Secretary.