People across the country are being asked to have their say on proposals for a new renewable energy company owned by the Welsh government. It would "develop and own" wind and solar plants, and support local communities to take an ownership stake. The Plaid Cymru-led Welsh government hope it can reduce the cost of bills in the long term, but the company would not directly set energy prices.
It does not set out to replace the organisations that provide energy direct to customers, with the government inviting people for views on how it should operate. The plans were criticised by the Welsh Conservatives. The Welsh government already owns a renewable onshore wind and solar developer - Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, external (TGC).
Ministers in Cardiff are proposing to bring TGC together with other existing Welsh energy schemes, such as Ynni Cymru, which aims to expand locally-owned renewables and the government's energy service. Enterprise Minister Adam Price told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast the government wanted an energy system that was "clean, cheap and owned by us". Plug-in solar panels are coming to a shop near you - here's what to know 'Secret' underground energy could heat every home in capital city The company would not "replace existing energy suppliers or directly set household electricity prices", it said in a consultation document.
It added that its purpose would be to "help Wales reduce energy costs over time by developing and owning renewable energy assets" and "supporting local and community ownership, investing in smart local energy systems". It would also "help more organisations use locally generated energy" and try to attract investment into Welsh energy infrastructure. The company would be separate from Great British Energy, which the UK government set up in 2024.
TGC is working on a number of projects on land owned by the Welsh government, including proposed wind farms at Carreg Wen near Aberdare and Glyn Cothi in Carmarthenshire. The consultation asks if TGC should form the basis of the new company and whether it should use its name or call itself Ynni Cymru, external. It also proposes that the company could take stakes in larger schemes - suggesting this could involve offshore wind, marine energy and nuclear.
The consultation looks at establishing a Welsh Energy Wealth Fund to allow energy projects "to support the most vulnerable in Wales as well as those living in areas where projects are being delivered". Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Price said: "Our vision for the future of the energy system in Wales is one in which it's clean, it's cheap and it's owned by us." He said the organisation was bringing the different elements together "to create a single company that, if you like, has the range of expertise and the sort of critical mass of resources and knowledge to make a real difference". Price said Wales was "an energy giant at the Industrial Revolution with coal, but unfortunately we didn't see the benefit of that being derived largely by our own people".
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