Welsh Gov seeking assurance from Ofgem that the ‘gas stays on’ in Wales

The Welsh Government is seeking an “assurance” from Ofgem that the gas will stay in Wales, amid an energy crisis.

The Climate Change Minister Julie James wants an “assurance in writing of the continuity of supply” of gas, from the UK energy regulator.

She was responding to a Topical Question asked by Plaid Cymru MS Delyth Jewell MS in the Senedd.

In response, the Plaid Senedd member said that the “Tory UK Government will need to face extremely serious questions about how they allowed” the crisis to happen.

The minister said: “We were also very concerned to understand, just for continuity of supply, never mind price, that we had insufficient numbers of larger companies able to take across Welsh consumers who are currently receiving supply off companies likely to go out of business in the very short term.

“So, we’re working on assurances to that and to make sure that we have that information from Ofgem so that we can help make that transition happen.

“This is leaving aside the issue of whether people can pay for it. This is actually just making sure the gas stays on so they can cook and, indeed, heat their homes.

“I’ve written to Ofgem subsequent to the meeting, seeking their assurance in writing of the continuity of supply for Welsh consumers and that consumer rights will be protected.”

In response, Delyth Jewell MS said: “I am deeply concerned that the Welsh Government has felt the need to seek written assurances from Ofgem about the continuity of supply of gas for Welsh households and businesses.

“The Tory UK Government will need to face extremely serious questions about how they allowed this to occur, it is simply unacceptable that they’ve enabled a situation where there’s doubt about energy supply – they’ve made the UK heavily reliant on gas by failing to transition to renewable sources, then subsequently failed to ensure adequate gas reserves.

“But the priority now has to be to find ways to meet demand in the short term, and I would expect the UK Government to pull out every single stop to ensure this happens.

“They must also announce an immediate financial assistance programme to prevent any individual having to choose between heating or eating over the coming weeks, and the winter months, which must include the immediate cancellation of the planned cut to Universal Credit.”