‘New offshore wind farms should benefit Welsh public purse’ – Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru challenge Labour suggestion that offshore wind announcement is ‘vindication’ of keeping Crown Estate powers in Westminster
Plaid Cymru’s Energy spokesperson in Westminster, Llinos Medi MP, has pushed back against the Secretary of State for Wales’ suggestion that a new announcement on offshore wind projects is a “vindication” of keeping Crown Estate powers in Westminster.
Ms Medi pointed out that devolution of the Crown Estate has not hindered the development of renewable energy projects in Scotland, which is developing 19 offshore wind projects under the devolved Scottish Crown Estate.
The Crown Estate today announced it is set to partner with Equinor and Gwynt Glas – a joint venture between EDF Renewables UK and ESB – to develop floating windfarms off the coasts of West Wales and the South West of England.
The Plaid Cymru MP also suggested that the First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, had not been “effective” in lobbying her party colleagues in London on the devolution of the Crown Estate. Last month, Baroness Morgan said that devolution of the estates would allow Wales to profit from renewable energy in the Celtic Sea, “We saw them take our coal. We saw them take our water. We will not let them take our wind, not this time, not on my watch.”
Plaid Cymru Energy spokesperson in Westminster, Llinos Medi MP, said:
“Until we devolve the Crown Estate, the process of extracting wealth from Wales’s natural resources will continue.
“The Labour First Minister of Wales made a big pitch that she would not let Westminster ‘take our wind’. It’s clear that those efforts have not been effective, as the fees and profits from this announcement will be given to the Treasury in Whitehall rather than being retained for the Welsh public purse for the benefit of our communities.
“Devolution of the Crown Estate would not hinder the development of renewable energy projects in Wales, as has been demonstrated in Scotland, which is developing 19 offshore wind projects under the devolved Scottish Crown Estate.”