WALES MUST OWN ITS CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE, CLIMATE CYMRU TELLS SENEDD

Campaigners demand mandatory community ownership of renewable energy projects, warning Wales cannot simply host energy infrastructure while the profits flow elsewhere.

Climate Cymru, a non-partisan coalition representing over 400 partner organisations and thousands of individuals across Wales, has submitted its formal strategic priorities to the Senedd’s Economy, Energy and Infrastructure Committee consultation for the Seventh Senedd.

The submission urges Senedd Members to place community benefit, local wealth retention, rapid grid modernisation, and a Just Transition for workers at the heart of Wales’s future energy strategy. Grounded in the network’s Cymru Together mobilisation and evidence gathered from The People’s Emergency Briefing screenings across Wales,  Climate Cymru wants Welsh communities at the heart of Wales’ clean energy transition, with a real stake in the projects developed here.

 Climate Cymru is calling for communities to have a direct stake in Wales’ renewable energy future. Its response calls for mandatory shared ownership of new renewable energy projects, alongside standardised community benefit payments that would contribute to a new Welsh Wealth Fund.

The network is also calling for stronger oversight of Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru and Ynni Cymru, and for the Senedd to hold Ofgem, National Grid and distribution network operators to account for delays in connecting new projects to the grid.

Climate Cymru is also urging reform of the planning system so that local people have a meaningful say from the earliest stages of renewable energy development.

Finally, the network is calling for Wales’ green transition to deliver good, secure jobs and investment in Welsh communities. This means aligning workforce development with the growth of green industries, protecting existing industrial workers and ensuring local supply chains benefit from investment in Welsh ports, including Milford Haven and Mostyn.

Speaking on the consultation submission, Joseph Kidd, Head of Renewables at Climate Cymru, said:

“Wales has a huge opportunity to build an energy system that works for everyone,  putting communities at the heart of the transition, cutting household bills and keeping more of the economic value generated by our renewable resources within Wales.

This is an opportunity to think beyond traditional parliamentary silos and bring together communities, policymakers and industry to shape Wales’ energy future. We urge the Committee to work across portfolios, visit communities already leading the way, and convene a national People’s Energy Briefing to bring local experience, ideas and solutions directly into the heart of policymaking.”

Dan McCallum, Chief Executive of Awel Aman Tawe

“At Awel Aman Tawe, we’ve used income from our 4.7MW wind farm to buy the former primary school and turned it into a thriving community hwb www.hwbygors.cymru. We’ve also bought the local pub, supported mental health, energy advice and a range of other projects. Egni, our rooftop solar co-op, is the largest in the UK and has saved our sites more than £1m in electricity costs so far. We also very keen to share ownership in big wind farms and have worked with partners, NPTCVS and BAVO to secure co-op stakes inY Bryn, Mynydd Fforch Dwm and Mynydd Ty Talwrn in our local area. We want all developers to respond in the same way that ESB/Coriolos, Nadara, Galileo and RWE have, and worked with ourselves and Community Energy Wales to retain wealth in Wales.”

Benedict Fergunson, Ynni Cymunedol Cymru – Community Energy Wales

“Despite Welsh Government’s ambition for all private energy developments to be jointly owned with communities, only 3 out of the 30 renewable energy projects entering the Planning Inspectorate Development Wales (PEDW) process since 2020 have a credible shared ownership position. The existing voluntary guidance is not delivering for the people of Wales.

It is incredibly disappointing to see a credible shared ownership project in Y Bryn be rejected, and we call on the new Plaid Cymru Government to deliver on their manifesto promise to “require a minimum community ownership stake of between 15 and 25%,  for all energy projects over 10 MW, as a key condition of consent”