New FM, Eluned Morgan, has been questioned on her commitment to ensuring any new electrical transmission lines are placed underground in mid Wales by Montgomeryshire MS, Russell George.
Baroness Morgan, who became Wales’s new First Minister last month, following Vaughan Gething’s resignation, was asked this week to confirm her support to the undergrounding of any new electrical transmission lines in mid Wales. This follows proposals for new wind farm developments, and overhead transmission lines.
One of the new UK Government’s key energy pledges ahead of the 2024 general election was the creation of Great British Energy (GB Energy). The new government owned body will provide investment for renewable developments.
The UK Government has said it also intends to scale investment in existing mature technologies, such as onshore wind.
Onshore wind developments and the associated infrastructure which would come with it, has been a contentious issue across mid Wales for over a decade.
Senedd Member, Russell George used his first question to the new First Minister, to ask how this new Government owned body would benefit the people of Mid Wales.
The Senedd Member questioned the new First Minister asking her to intervene to ensure the new public body supported mid Wales, by ensuring there was investment that that any new transmission lines would be placed underground.
Mr George was actively involved in campaigning against National Grids Plans in 2011.
The new First Minister said ‘’There are implications to putting everything underground’’.
Commenting following his exchange with Eluned Morgan, Mr George said:
‘’Given that it seems the new UK Labour Government are talking about the benefits of GB energy for Wales, I was disappointed in the lack of detail provided by the new First Minister. I asked Baroness Morgan to commit to meeting with GB energy, and to change her governments policy to make undergrounding the default position, but she failed to commit.’’
‘’Montgomeryshire has a long history of fighting proposals that seek to destroy our beautiful landscapes. Many people will remember National Grids proposals, of a decade ago, where our communities reacted in force against the total lack of consideration and empathy for residents and landscapes shown by National Grid and developers.
It is vital that renewable energy companies ensure that they take communities with them, rather than imposing projects upon mid Wales. With this new publicly owned body, there should be an opportunity to support mid Wales, by ensuring, if there are new transmission lines, they are placed underground.
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