P-06-1383 Pause onshore wind & solar projects >10MW until the full potential of off-shore wind is included
P-06-1383 Pause onshore wind & solar projects >10MW until the full potential of off-shore wind is included
This
petition was submitted by Carys Matthews, having collected 5,351 signatures
online and 3,747 signatures on paper, making for a total of 9,098 signatures.
Text of Petition:
To prevent widescale and
needless damage to the Welsh countryside, we call upon the Welsh Government to
place a temporary moratorium on all onshore wind and ground based solar
developments over 10MW, until Future Wales 2040 and the Welsh Government’s renewable
energy targets are updated and incorporated with Wales Marine Energy to ensure
that the full potential of offshore wind, rooftop solar, and other emerging
energy sources is recognised as a critical priority to combat climate change.
Additional Information
Wales presently produces
30 Terra Watt hours (TWh) of energy (55% of that from renewables) whilst using
only 14TWh, however, demand is estimated to increase to 45TWh by 2050.
Wales has massive
potential for far offshore wind (both fixed and floating) with projects
proposed for offshore wind projects, in the Irish and Celtic Sea combined
forecast to generate at least 100 TWh of energy.
Estimates also calculate
that up to 50% of Wales energy consumption could be met through rooftop solar
on houses, businesses, and covered car parks.
Yet neither the full
potential of offshore wind nor rooftop solar is being calculated into Welsh
Government policy. The Minister for Climate Change admitted to CPRW it wasn’t,
stating that their policy document, Future Wales, had not been updated in three
years. We call for policy to be updated to include the full potential of
offshore wind, rooftop solar and other emerging technologies to ensure we
sacrifice the least amount of countryside and farmland.
This petition was considered completed by
the Petitions Committee at its meeting on 11/12/2023.
The
Committee considered the petition and noted that the Ministers’ response to the
Committee was clear and that they do not support a moratorium. Members
concluded that in light of this, the Committee could not take the issue raised
in the petition further and agreed to close the petition.
Full
details of the consideration of this petition by the Committee and related
documents can be seen on the Meetings tab above.
It
was first considered by the Petitions Committee on 11/12/2023.
Senedd Constituency and Region
- Montgomeryshire
- Mid
and West Wales
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Business type: Petition
Reason considered: Senedd Business;
Status: For consideration
First published: 11/12/2023