County urged to scale up renewables in bid to reach net zero

Richard Youle, Local Democracy Reporter

A new search for potential wind and solar farm sites should take place in a county as part of a drive to increase renewable energy production, a report said.

The Swansea local area energy plan, as it’s known, also sets out proposals to decarbonise housing, transport and industry to make them less polluting.

The main aim of the plan is for the county to have “net zero” energy system by 2050, which means no additional greenhouse gas emissions being added.

Endorsement 

The plan has been endorsed by First Minister Eluned Morgan along with ones for Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.

The Swansea document said the ambition should be for wind energy production to more than quadruple between now and 2050 and for solar energy to soar twelve-fold. That would mean more wind farms, solar farms and rooftop solar panels.

It recommended that the results of a fresh search for wind and solar sites should be incorporated into the planning framework.

Electrifying large parts of our industrialised economy without adding to greenhouse gas emissions requires more low-carbon sources of power and more connections to the National Grid. Energy efficiency measures and retrofitting draughty buildings also feature in the Swansea plan, as does a scaling up electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Significant investment would be needed and it’s hoped many skilled jobs would be created.

Investment 

The First Minister spoke about the four energy plans at an event in Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire. “Renewable energy has the potential to unlock £47 billion of investment and create 15,000 clean energy jobs in Wales,” she said.

“I want to make sure this investment comes to Wales and supports high quality jobs and delivers on local needs across the country, so people across every community see the real benefits of our transition to green energy.”

The Welsh Government would like all of the country’s electricity demand to be met by renewable sources by 2035.

Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart, who chairs a regional group overseeing the energy plans, said each one was tailored to their particular county while reflecting a vision for south-west Wales.

“This joined-up approach means that the whole of south west Wales can move faster towards ‘net zero’ while ensuring that the economic and environmental benefits are shared across all our communities,” he said.

The Swansea local area energy plan has 15 priority actions and will be reviewed every three to five years. It said road transport and domestic heating were the two most energy-intensive and polluting sectors.