Energy

With governmental will and ambition we can ensure that Wales meets all its energy demand entirely from renewables by 2035. Our target would be to build 11GW of installed capacity by that year.

Energy Atlas and Ynni Cymru

We would begin by commissioning a national inventory of green energy potential in Wales, an ‘Energy Atlas for Wales’, which will evolve into a detailed Energy Plan for the phased utilisation of natural resources and the development of indigenous firms and community energy projects.

This would include using the tidal range off our southern and northern coasts and mapping green hydrogen potential in Wales, supporting in particular the development of tidal lagoons. All renewable energy developments would be done in a way that minimises any potential harm to biodiversity by developing improved locational guidance to developers in both marine and terrestrial environments.

We would establish Ynni Cymru as an energy project development company, similarly to Transport for Wales and the Development Bank for Wales, establishing Ynni Cymru would allow Wales to join the European norm of having a state-backed energy company.

Ynni Cymru, located in Ynys Môn, would help facilitate peer-to-peer trading of electricity between microgrids and virtual energy islands.

Generation and Use

We would change the existing target for Wales electricity demand to be powered by renewables from 70 per cent to 100 per cent by 2030 and set a new target that 100 per cent of electricity generation within Wales will be renewable by 2035.

We would:

• Advance our wave and tidal technologies to fully realise our coastal potential.
• Aim for a substantial increase in wind generation, particularly offshore. We will support the expansion of solar farms in Wales, and PV roofs.
• Invest in decarbonisation research, particularly for key industrial sectors such as steel, and position ourselves as a world leader in emerging Welsh strengths such as hydrogen and marine energy.
• Massively expand Welsh electricity storage where Wales already enjoys a strong position through its two pumped hydro plants.
• Require all new renewable energy projects in Wales above 5MW to have at least between 5 per cent and 33 per cent community and local ownership, to support rural and coastal economies.
• Support localised community renewable energy schemes, especially hydropower.
• Task the National Infrastructure Commission to devise a plan to future proof Wales’ electricity grids.