While Wales and Scotland are quite different countries they do share a slightly similar problem with absentee landlords. A new report has been produced by the Scottish Affairs Committee (in Westminster) has said the Crown Estates management of the marine environment around Scotland lacked transparency and public consultation. At the moment the Crown Estate's controls approximately 50% of Scotland's coast and almost all the seabed, as it does around Wales.
The Crown Estate owns the rights to the sites of fish farms, renewable energy developments, ports and marinas. The Crown Estate is owned by the Queen and managed by an independent board known as the Crown Estate Commissioners. The estate's revenues do not belong to the monarch and surplus revenue from its £7bn-worth of business is paid each year to the Treasury for the benefit of all UK taxpayers.
The Scottish Affairs Committee has said that the UK government should commit to having the Crown Estate's marine responsibilities and rights related to Scotland devolved to the Scottish government, on condition the powers were further devolved to local level. MPs in Westminster took evidence from local communities in Orkney, Shetland, Caithness, Argyll and the Western Isles. The MP’s noted that they received responses that were highly critical of the Crown Estate which included criticism of the organisation which behaved like an "absentee landlord" and "tax collector".
The MP’s considered the nature and extent of the problems in relation to the marine and coastal assets in Scotland, and concluded that the Crown Estate Commissioner should no longer be responsible in these areas. The MP’s concluded that when it comes to the conservation of these maritime assets and the benefits to the island and coastal communities most closely involved with them should be maximised. Something that can only be done is by devolving as much of the responsibility - and benefit - down to the level of those local communities as much as possible.
In March 2011, a Plaid Freedom of Information request revealed that the existing offshore wind farms in north Wales at North Hoyle and Rhyl Flats generated income to the Crown Estate of almost £400,000 in 2009-10. And that is set to multiply many times with the development of other sites. Construction of the Gwynt-y-Mor wind project is due to start this year and the Crown Estate told Leanne Wood it also had a zone development agreement with Centrica to develop up to 4.2 gigawatts, covering both Welsh and English waters.
The FOI request revealed that the Crown Estate has onshore options for three wind farms at Lys Dymper with Wind Power Wales, at Llanllwni with RES Renewables and Cilfaesty with RWE Power. Planning applications have been submitted for the first two. The annual report of Crown Estate showed its Welsh holdings generated a gross surplus of £2.3m in 2009-10 with capital receipts bringing in £1.8m. It owns more than 3,000 acres across Wales, principally agricultural holdings. Profits earned by the Crown Estate are paid to the Treasury, according to them, for "the benefit of the nation".
Last year it was revealed that the Con Dem Government and the Royal Family had signed a lucrative deal that will earn tens of millions of pounds from the massive expansion of offshore wind farms. The Crown will net up to £37.5 million extra income every year from the drive for green energy because the seabed within Britain’s territorial waters is owned by the Crown Estate. A nice little earner if you can get it, especially for an absentee landlord!
Showing posts with label Crown Estates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crown Estates. Show all posts
Tuesday, 20 March 2012
Friday, 21 October 2011
THE RIGHT DECISION
The decision to say no the application for drilling for shale gas at a site in Llandow in the Vale of Glamorgan yesterday is to be welcomed. There is a definite need for a pause for thought and a real need for the Welsh government to develop coherent policy in relation to test drilling for shale gas in Wales.
Environmentally there are still too many unanswered questions in relation to the environmental price that can be paid extraction of shale gas. In USA, the Shale Gas extraction industry made headway because it was exempted from groundwater protection laws, with some pretty dire consequences for some US communities.
US land laws also helped as it grants landowners under whose land the gas is extracted a share of the proceeds, encouraging many of them to ignore wider environmental concerns. this, however, is not the USA, in the UK people don't have that option as we have the Crown Estates.
Interestingly enough, there are potentially some parallels with the headlong and equally ill-thought out dash for gas in the 1980's (for Con Dems read Conservatives) with the possibility of a potential if short term revenue stream that may well be something that's excites the Conservatives. Ironically money aside what is actually driving this potentially seriously environmentally damaging and polluting shale gas extraction industry are belated thoughts of energy security.
Serious questions need to be asked as to who exactly reaps the financial benefits and who pays the price for the rapid expansion of the home grown energy sector? Whether it's relatively remote rural mountain top wind farms, open cast coal mines, large cross country electricity pylons close to some of our communities (rural or urban) or off-shore wind farms established in our coastal waters.
The Welsh government can rightly be criticised for passing the buck by insisting that county councillors had enough power, knowledge and control to make their own decision, whether that be test-drilling or developing policy for future fracking for shale gas. Simply calling for the Westminster government to work to develop policy on fracking with the devolved governments across the UK is not good enough, the Labour Government in Cardiff is not standing up for Wales, it is sleepwalking for Wales.
Environmentally there are still too many unanswered questions in relation to the environmental price that can be paid extraction of shale gas. In USA, the Shale Gas extraction industry made headway because it was exempted from groundwater protection laws, with some pretty dire consequences for some US communities.
US land laws also helped as it grants landowners under whose land the gas is extracted a share of the proceeds, encouraging many of them to ignore wider environmental concerns. this, however, is not the USA, in the UK people don't have that option as we have the Crown Estates.
Interestingly enough, there are potentially some parallels with the headlong and equally ill-thought out dash for gas in the 1980's (for Con Dems read Conservatives) with the possibility of a potential if short term revenue stream that may well be something that's excites the Conservatives. Ironically money aside what is actually driving this potentially seriously environmentally damaging and polluting shale gas extraction industry are belated thoughts of energy security.
Serious questions need to be asked as to who exactly reaps the financial benefits and who pays the price for the rapid expansion of the home grown energy sector? Whether it's relatively remote rural mountain top wind farms, open cast coal mines, large cross country electricity pylons close to some of our communities (rural or urban) or off-shore wind farms established in our coastal waters.
The Welsh government can rightly be criticised for passing the buck by insisting that county councillors had enough power, knowledge and control to make their own decision, whether that be test-drilling or developing policy for future fracking for shale gas. Simply calling for the Westminster government to work to develop policy on fracking with the devolved governments across the UK is not good enough, the Labour Government in Cardiff is not standing up for Wales, it is sleepwalking for Wales.
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
FRACKING HELL!
The House of Commons Energy Select Committee, without waiting until research into the environmental effects of mining shale gas have been fully researched and studied, has come out in favour of developing this energy resource in the UK. Perhaps, considering the potential damage to our environment MPs should have called for a moratorium on shale gas and waited until research into allegations about the technology is complete.
MP's say that any environmental problems associated with it in the US could be overcome by tight regulation and good industry practice here in the UK. Even MPs, despite their haste to develop what is seen as a secure energy resource, have stated the Westminster government would need to be particularly vigilant to ensure the technology did not pollute water or produce excessive greenhouse emissions.
Shale gas is gas trapped in rocks that can be released through new horizontal drilling techniques and by breaking open the rocks by pumping in water and mix of chemicals (or hydraulic fracturing) which is known as fracking. Here in Wales, the initial focus is on the shale gas reserves that may be found some 7,000 feet below the village of Llandow in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Interestingly enough Manchester University's the Tyndall Centre and the Cooperative Bank have released a report on the wider environmental impact of shale gas extraction, which is well worth a read. If you get the chance and watch Gasland, the film is based on the real life experiences faced by communities in the US, who have lived with (and are living with) the consequences of the dramatic increase in shale gas extraction.
In America, the Shale Gas extraction industry was boosted when it was exempted from groundwater protection laws, with some pretty dire consequences for some US communities. US land laws also helped as it grants landowners under whose land the gas is extracted a share of the proceeds, encouraging many of them to ignore wider environmental concerns - in the UK we have the Crown Estates.
Now interestingly enough, there is a resemblance to the headlong ill-thought out dash for gas in the 1980's (for Con Dems read Conservatives) with the possibility of a potential if short term revenue stream that may well be something that's exciting the Conservatives. Ironically money aside what is actually driving this potentially seriously environmentally damaging and polluting shale gas extraction industry are thoughts of energy security.
That aside for the moment, serious questions need to be asked as to who exactly reaps the financial benefits and who pays the price for the rapid expansion of the home grown energy sector? Whether it's relatively remote rural mountain top wind farms, open cast coal mines, large cross country electricity pylons close to some of our communities (rural or urban) or off-shore wind farms established in our coastal waters.
If we have commercial companies moving into Wales; to mop up grants and the incentives to establish alternative energy facilities that take advantage of our natural resources yet deliver scant material or any other benefits to the Welsh people, then we should rightly ask what's going on? And if all of this is taking place with the apparent (or actual) approval of an Uncle Tom Welsh Government in Cardiff then are we merely repeating what happened to us in the nineteenth century? Surely we can do better than this?
All that aside for the moment, one question that the Westminster MP's seem to have largely or deliberately avoided is that, according to British Geological Survey estimates that onshore shale gas reserves in the UK may be able to supply 1.5 years of the UK's total gas needs. So when its gone and we are all living with the potentially grim environmental consequences of the messy (to put it mildly) process then what?
MP's say that any environmental problems associated with it in the US could be overcome by tight regulation and good industry practice here in the UK. Even MPs, despite their haste to develop what is seen as a secure energy resource, have stated the Westminster government would need to be particularly vigilant to ensure the technology did not pollute water or produce excessive greenhouse emissions.
Shale gas is gas trapped in rocks that can be released through new horizontal drilling techniques and by breaking open the rocks by pumping in water and mix of chemicals (or hydraulic fracturing) which is known as fracking. Here in Wales, the initial focus is on the shale gas reserves that may be found some 7,000 feet below the village of Llandow in the Vale of Glamorgan.
Interestingly enough Manchester University's the Tyndall Centre and the Cooperative Bank have released a report on the wider environmental impact of shale gas extraction, which is well worth a read. If you get the chance and watch Gasland, the film is based on the real life experiences faced by communities in the US, who have lived with (and are living with) the consequences of the dramatic increase in shale gas extraction.
In America, the Shale Gas extraction industry was boosted when it was exempted from groundwater protection laws, with some pretty dire consequences for some US communities. US land laws also helped as it grants landowners under whose land the gas is extracted a share of the proceeds, encouraging many of them to ignore wider environmental concerns - in the UK we have the Crown Estates.
Now interestingly enough, there is a resemblance to the headlong ill-thought out dash for gas in the 1980's (for Con Dems read Conservatives) with the possibility of a potential if short term revenue stream that may well be something that's exciting the Conservatives. Ironically money aside what is actually driving this potentially seriously environmentally damaging and polluting shale gas extraction industry are thoughts of energy security.
That aside for the moment, serious questions need to be asked as to who exactly reaps the financial benefits and who pays the price for the rapid expansion of the home grown energy sector? Whether it's relatively remote rural mountain top wind farms, open cast coal mines, large cross country electricity pylons close to some of our communities (rural or urban) or off-shore wind farms established in our coastal waters.
If we have commercial companies moving into Wales; to mop up grants and the incentives to establish alternative energy facilities that take advantage of our natural resources yet deliver scant material or any other benefits to the Welsh people, then we should rightly ask what's going on? And if all of this is taking place with the apparent (or actual) approval of an Uncle Tom Welsh Government in Cardiff then are we merely repeating what happened to us in the nineteenth century? Surely we can do better than this?
All that aside for the moment, one question that the Westminster MP's seem to have largely or deliberately avoided is that, according to British Geological Survey estimates that onshore shale gas reserves in the UK may be able to supply 1.5 years of the UK's total gas needs. So when its gone and we are all living with the potentially grim environmental consequences of the messy (to put it mildly) process then what?
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
PLAID'S VISION FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT
While the Welsh Assembly government has committed Wales to annual carbon reduction-equivalent emissions of 3% per year by 2011 in areas of devolved competence, Plaid has recognised that climate change is more severe than previously realised. The National Assembly agreed, with cross-party support, to reduce emissions by 40% below 1990 levels by 2020 - this is an important necessary step forward.
Plaid will work to ensure that this decision is turned into meaningful and effective action to achieve the full reduction, and calls on Westminster to follow Wales' lead. Yet, if we are going to achieve this sort of massive reduction, then we must ensure that Wales is able to decide our own energy priorities. Plaid Cymru demands the full devolution of all powers over energy policy to the National Assembly.
Wales can be self-sustaining in energy generation by 2020 and we must take full advantage of our renewable energy resources and support micro generation and other small-scale sustainable power generation schemes, including tidal, wave-power, on-shore and off-shore wind, hydro and biomass.
We are completely opposed to decisions on large energy projects being taken outside Wales by the new Infrastructure Planning Unit. NB - Decisions will now be taken through a new unit formed within the Planning Inspectorate with the final decision on projects being made by Westminster Ministers.
Any future energy projects in Wales should be decided democratically, and by a body which is accountable to the people of Wales. Plaid welcomed the decision to scrap the Severn Barrage Cardiff-Weston project, as we have always believed that, instead, a combination of lagoons and tidal-stream turbines would minimise environmental damage while maximising zero-carbon electricity generation at a cost affordable to consumers.
Plaid has called for emission performance standards for all new power stations and we reaffirm our opposition to the construction of any new nuclear power stations in Wales. We call for research into the creation of a European Smart Power Grid for the sharing of renewable energies across Europe. We all have a responsibility to improve energy efficiency within our homes and to use more renewable energy.
Lets not forget that the old New Labour Government in Westminster made sure that control over water and large energy projects was specifically kept under the control of Westminster. And this situation has continued under the current Conservative–Liberal Democrat Government. Plaid seek to control of our own natural resources. If it's good enough for Scotland, then it's more than good enough for Wales.
The Westminster-based parties are sending a very clear message in the coming election that they clearly don’t believe the people of Wales are capable of taking control over our own natural resources. So the clear message of this election is that - if you vote Plaid, we will demand responsibility over our nation's natural resources in order to ensure our nation can take full advantage of our wind, water, land and sea.
We not only need to take action in response to climate change but also need to tackle fuel poverty so that everybody can afford to keep warm in their homes. Despite the action taken by Plaid in government, the problem is rising sharply with a quarter of all households in Wales are experiencing fuel poverty. Plaid will continue to campaign for a windfall tax on energy companies to help pay for grants for insulation for lower income families in Westminster.
We will also work to ensure that the new feed-in tariffs encourage community-scale community beneficial renewable energy projects. We will continue to oppose the use of waste incinerators and support binding targets for waste prevention.
Plaid supports recycling targets of 80% of domestic waste by 2020 and the introduction of a higher landfill tax. And Plaid will continue to campaign for changes in public procurement legislation so that Local Authorities can favour materials from recycled and local sources, something that benefits the environment and delivers local jobs. So to start the ball rolling make sure you vote Plaid twice on Thursday 5th May!
Plaid will work to ensure that this decision is turned into meaningful and effective action to achieve the full reduction, and calls on Westminster to follow Wales' lead. Yet, if we are going to achieve this sort of massive reduction, then we must ensure that Wales is able to decide our own energy priorities. Plaid Cymru demands the full devolution of all powers over energy policy to the National Assembly.
Wales can be self-sustaining in energy generation by 2020 and we must take full advantage of our renewable energy resources and support micro generation and other small-scale sustainable power generation schemes, including tidal, wave-power, on-shore and off-shore wind, hydro and biomass.
We are completely opposed to decisions on large energy projects being taken outside Wales by the new Infrastructure Planning Unit. NB - Decisions will now be taken through a new unit formed within the Planning Inspectorate with the final decision on projects being made by Westminster Ministers.
Any future energy projects in Wales should be decided democratically, and by a body which is accountable to the people of Wales. Plaid welcomed the decision to scrap the Severn Barrage Cardiff-Weston project, as we have always believed that, instead, a combination of lagoons and tidal-stream turbines would minimise environmental damage while maximising zero-carbon electricity generation at a cost affordable to consumers.
Plaid has called for emission performance standards for all new power stations and we reaffirm our opposition to the construction of any new nuclear power stations in Wales. We call for research into the creation of a European Smart Power Grid for the sharing of renewable energies across Europe. We all have a responsibility to improve energy efficiency within our homes and to use more renewable energy.
Lets not forget that the old New Labour Government in Westminster made sure that control over water and large energy projects was specifically kept under the control of Westminster. And this situation has continued under the current Conservative–Liberal Democrat Government. Plaid seek to control of our own natural resources. If it's good enough for Scotland, then it's more than good enough for Wales.
The Westminster-based parties are sending a very clear message in the coming election that they clearly don’t believe the people of Wales are capable of taking control over our own natural resources. So the clear message of this election is that - if you vote Plaid, we will demand responsibility over our nation's natural resources in order to ensure our nation can take full advantage of our wind, water, land and sea.
We not only need to take action in response to climate change but also need to tackle fuel poverty so that everybody can afford to keep warm in their homes. Despite the action taken by Plaid in government, the problem is rising sharply with a quarter of all households in Wales are experiencing fuel poverty. Plaid will continue to campaign for a windfall tax on energy companies to help pay for grants for insulation for lower income families in Westminster.
We will also work to ensure that the new feed-in tariffs encourage community-scale community beneficial renewable energy projects. We will continue to oppose the use of waste incinerators and support binding targets for waste prevention.
Plaid supports recycling targets of 80% of domestic waste by 2020 and the introduction of a higher landfill tax. And Plaid will continue to campaign for changes in public procurement legislation so that Local Authorities can favour materials from recycled and local sources, something that benefits the environment and delivers local jobs. So to start the ball rolling make sure you vote Plaid twice on Thursday 5th May!
Sunday, 20 March 2011
CROWN ESTATES PROFIT CALL
The Crown Estate is set for a multi-million pound windfall from the development of wind farms – and Plaid Cymru AM Leanne Wood believes the benefits of natural resources should go to the people of Wales.
A Freedom of Information request by Plaid’s Sustainability spokesperson revealed that the existing offshore wind farms in north Wales at North Hoyle and Rhyl Flats generated income to the Crown Estate of almost £400,000 in 2009-10.
And that is set to multiply many times with the development of other sites. Construction of the Gwynt-y-Mor wind project is due to start this year and the Crown Estate told Leanne Wood it also had a zone development agreement with Centrica to develop up to 4.2 gigawatts, covering both Welsh and English waters.
In addition, the Crown Estate has onshore options for three wind farms at Lys Dymper with Wind Power Wales, at Llanllwni with RES Renewables and Cilfaesty with RWE Power. Planning applications have been submitted for the first two.
The annual report of Crown Estate showed its Welsh holdings generated a gross surplus of £2.3m in 2009-10 with capital receipts bringing in £1.8m. It owns more than 3,000 acres across Wales, principally agricultural holdings. Profits earned by the Crown Estate are paid to the Treasury, according to them, for "the benefit of the nation".
Last year it was revealed that the Royal Family had secured a lucrative deal that will earn them tens of millions of pounds from the massive expansion of offshore wind farms. They will net up to £37.5 million extra income every year from the drive for green energy because the seabed within Britain's territorial waters is owned by the Crown Estate.
Leanne Wood AM, Plaid South Wales Central, said:
"The two North Wales wind farms generated £389,000 in income over the last financial year and that is set to grow into millions of pounds over the next few years with the increasing drive for more green energy. Many onshore and offshore projects are on the cards.
"Plaid’s view is that it is high time that profits which are earned from Wales’ natural resources, the seabed and the land should be owned by the Welsh Government for benefit of the people of Wales and not into the Treasury's coffers, which is passed into an already excessively wealthy Royal Family.
"We don’t want to repeat the situation where huge profits were made from the coal industry but Wales did not enjoy the benefits and is still paying the price today.
"Virtually all the UK’s sea bed, including that in Wales, up to 12 nautical miles and more than half the UK foreshore is owned by the Crown Estate.
WHAT THE CROWN ESTATES SAYS ABOUT ITS WELSH LAND HOLDINGS
We are responsible for three agricultural holdings, under different uses: Aberystwyth, which includes 34 hectares (84 acres) of land used by the University of Aberystwyth for research and the fourth largest sheep market in Wales, at 3 hectares (8 acres); Plynlimon, 1,185 hectares (2,928 acres) comprising two agricultural holdings; and Tintern, 68 hectares (169 acres) which includes substantial mineral interests on the west bank of the River Wye. In the interest of preserving Tintern Abbey for future generations, we have placed it in the care of CADW (the historic environment service of the Welsh Assembly) under a long-term management agreement. The majority of our estate in Wales is common land, primarily used for grazing sheep but we also have more traditional farms.
A Freedom of Information request by Plaid’s Sustainability spokesperson revealed that the existing offshore wind farms in north Wales at North Hoyle and Rhyl Flats generated income to the Crown Estate of almost £400,000 in 2009-10.
And that is set to multiply many times with the development of other sites. Construction of the Gwynt-y-Mor wind project is due to start this year and the Crown Estate told Leanne Wood it also had a zone development agreement with Centrica to develop up to 4.2 gigawatts, covering both Welsh and English waters.
In addition, the Crown Estate has onshore options for three wind farms at Lys Dymper with Wind Power Wales, at Llanllwni with RES Renewables and Cilfaesty with RWE Power. Planning applications have been submitted for the first two.
The annual report of Crown Estate showed its Welsh holdings generated a gross surplus of £2.3m in 2009-10 with capital receipts bringing in £1.8m. It owns more than 3,000 acres across Wales, principally agricultural holdings. Profits earned by the Crown Estate are paid to the Treasury, according to them, for "the benefit of the nation".
Last year it was revealed that the Royal Family had secured a lucrative deal that will earn them tens of millions of pounds from the massive expansion of offshore wind farms. They will net up to £37.5 million extra income every year from the drive for green energy because the seabed within Britain's territorial waters is owned by the Crown Estate.
Leanne Wood AM, Plaid South Wales Central, said:
"The two North Wales wind farms generated £389,000 in income over the last financial year and that is set to grow into millions of pounds over the next few years with the increasing drive for more green energy. Many onshore and offshore projects are on the cards.
"Plaid’s view is that it is high time that profits which are earned from Wales’ natural resources, the seabed and the land should be owned by the Welsh Government for benefit of the people of Wales and not into the Treasury's coffers, which is passed into an already excessively wealthy Royal Family.
"We don’t want to repeat the situation where huge profits were made from the coal industry but Wales did not enjoy the benefits and is still paying the price today.
"Virtually all the UK’s sea bed, including that in Wales, up to 12 nautical miles and more than half the UK foreshore is owned by the Crown Estate.
WHAT THE CROWN ESTATES SAYS ABOUT ITS WELSH LAND HOLDINGS
We are responsible for three agricultural holdings, under different uses: Aberystwyth, which includes 34 hectares (84 acres) of land used by the University of Aberystwyth for research and the fourth largest sheep market in Wales, at 3 hectares (8 acres); Plynlimon, 1,185 hectares (2,928 acres) comprising two agricultural holdings; and Tintern, 68 hectares (169 acres) which includes substantial mineral interests on the west bank of the River Wye. In the interest of preserving Tintern Abbey for future generations, we have placed it in the care of CADW (the historic environment service of the Welsh Assembly) under a long-term management agreement. The majority of our estate in Wales is common land, primarily used for grazing sheep but we also have more traditional farms.
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
LACK OF CASH OR LACK OF VISION?
The Severn Barrage was always an expensive unsustainable ‘silver bullet which was relentlessly pushed by New Labour's Peter Hain (and his ilk) to show off their allegedly green credentials, but, in truth it was more likely to have been used to offset the emissions from newly expanded Heathrow. There were plenty of opportunities to invest in and develop smaller, sustainable, less environmentally damaging and more credible renewable energy schemes in the estuary (and elsewhere), such as tidal lagoons and tidal reefs, which would have generated significant amounts of energy (with a far longer period of generation) with significantly less environmental damage, yet New Labour Government conspicuously failed to do so.
We should not expect too much from the Com Dem Coalition Government - it has already quietly shelved plans (17th August) for an independent inquiry into the £25bn-a-year energy industry which has been subject to repeated criticism surrounding accusations of profiteering on electricity and gas. So it should come as no surprise to even the most impartial observers of the consequences of a warm unquestioning and financial rewarding relationship (in cash and kind) between the political parties within the Westminster village (and without) and the energy supply companies.
For sometime before the last Westminster general election, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats made repeated criticisms of New Labour for its failure to tackle prices charged by the Big Six suppliers. Both the opposition parties demanded an inquiry by the Competition Commission. There was a hope that an inquiry into the nefarious activities of the energy supply cartel (sorry companies) might have had the power to reform the industry, encourage new entrants to break the hold of players such as British Gas, EDF and the others on 99 per cent of the market and even possibly impose price caps.
Sadly the ConDem government is equally unimaginative and lacks any aspirational vision for future sustainable green energy development. This failure to invest in renewable energy in the Severn Estuary is unforgivable and clearly shows why it is so important that energy powers be devolved to the National Assembly for Wales. We have rich natural resources and here in Wales we should priorities the development of sustainable, renewable energy. The lands of the Crown Estate off the Welsh shoreline and powers to develop major energy infrastructure must also be devolved immediately to the Welsh Assembly if we are to make any realistic progress on these important issues.
We should not expect too much from the Com Dem Coalition Government - it has already quietly shelved plans (17th August) for an independent inquiry into the £25bn-a-year energy industry which has been subject to repeated criticism surrounding accusations of profiteering on electricity and gas. So it should come as no surprise to even the most impartial observers of the consequences of a warm unquestioning and financial rewarding relationship (in cash and kind) between the political parties within the Westminster village (and without) and the energy supply companies.
For sometime before the last Westminster general election, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats made repeated criticisms of New Labour for its failure to tackle prices charged by the Big Six suppliers. Both the opposition parties demanded an inquiry by the Competition Commission. There was a hope that an inquiry into the nefarious activities of the energy supply cartel (sorry companies) might have had the power to reform the industry, encourage new entrants to break the hold of players such as British Gas, EDF and the others on 99 per cent of the market and even possibly impose price caps.
Sadly the ConDem government is equally unimaginative and lacks any aspirational vision for future sustainable green energy development. This failure to invest in renewable energy in the Severn Estuary is unforgivable and clearly shows why it is so important that energy powers be devolved to the National Assembly for Wales. We have rich natural resources and here in Wales we should priorities the development of sustainable, renewable energy. The lands of the Crown Estate off the Welsh shoreline and powers to develop major energy infrastructure must also be devolved immediately to the Welsh Assembly if we are to make any realistic progress on these important issues.
Monday, 13 September 2010
HITTING THE NAIL ON THE HEAD
I am back from the Plaid Conference (which was held in Aberystwyth), conference is not only useful for catching up with people, swapping news, ideas and innovations, not to mention the social side of things, its the place to pick up new ideas and information. One of the conference delegates, Madoc Batcup, a former Plaid Parliamentary candidate, who is someone who knows his stuff and previously stood in Newport East told conference delegates (and the media) in Aberystwyth that Wales was being “stripped bare of its natural resources for England’s power needs” once again.
Madoc said: “We are all well aware of the way in which the resources of Wales have in the past been used largely for the benefit of others. Although the exploitation of coal and slate in Wales created jobs for hundreds of thousands of people, the great majority of the profits were spirited out of the country by mine owners and the slate quarry owners. The likes of the magnificent edifices of Cardiff Castle and Penrhyn Castle stand as testimony to the enormous wealth that Wales and its people generated for others.”
He noted that Wales’ water had been exploited by others in the past. Madoc cited the flooding of the Tryweryn valley in 1965 to provide water for Liverpool against the will of local people and Welsh MPs, and added: “We now face a further assault on our natural resources. The potential to produce electricity from renewable resources in our offshore waters is huge, and comes from two sources. The first is the exploitation of the wind through offshore wind-farms and the other is the exploitation of maritime energy through tidal and sea current and wave generated power.”
The UK Government has announced that there will be a huge new offshore wind farm off the coast of North Wales called Gwynt y Mor. This development is planned to have a capacity of 576 megawatts which is equal to around 60% of Wylfa nuclear power station’s capacity and sufficient to supply 400,000 households. This represents about 8% of Wales’ total current electricity production. An even bigger wind-farm, part of which is in Welsh waters, is planned further out into the Irish Sea. It will be up to eight times Gwynt y Mor’s size and capable of providing electricity for three million households – far more than the entire population of Wales.
It's worth noting that another large wind-farm is also being planned for the Bristol Channel. And it is worth remembering that the UK Government has been consulting on the generation of electricity through tidal power in the Severn Estuary, and is now reviewing a shortlist of proposals. The amount of electricity that could be generated in the Welsh waters of the Severn Estuary alone could be enough to supply another three million households or more. Yet Wales was not mentioned once in the economic consultation paper.
Madoc said: “Does Wales need such an enormous increase in its capacity to generate electricity? Even now it exports about 20% of the electricity it generates to England, and a new gas-fired power station has recently been opened in Pembrokeshire.
"Our hillsides are increasingly being covered in wind turbines and there are proposals to build a new nuclear power station at Wylfa. These huge new energy facilities are being built to feed England’s need for additional electricity, not our own.
“Who benefits? The new Gwynt y Mor wind farm is owned by three German companies: Siemens, who will be building the turbines in Europe, RWE the German power company and the municipal utility company of Munich, a publicly owned body that believes in renewable energy.
“Who is the owner and who decides? The Crown Estate owns the seabed around the UK out to the 12 nautical mile territorial limit, and 65% of the Welsh foreshore. It also owns the mineral rights on or under the seabed from the coastline out to the edge of the UK continental shelf, not including oil and gas.
“It is the Crown Estate that not only owns our seabed but also decides on the licences for who can exploit them. The Welsh Government has no planning powers for power stations above a paltry 50MW. Electricity generation, transmission and supply of electricity are specifically excluded from powers that would be transferred under the referendum.”
The Crown Estate, yet another useful quango was created in 1961. Its excess profits find there way to the Treasury. Working together with other departments in Whitehall, the Crown Estate decides how the natural resources should be parcelled out, how they should be exploited and who should get the benefit.
Madoc noted that any energy sales from these power stations would be worth many hundreds of millions of pounds a year once their development costs had been paid off.
“Ownership and control of these assets would transform the finances of the Welsh Government and provide a springboard for the development of new renewable energy job opportunities in Wales,” he said.
“Our own resources are being stolen under our noses in the name of the environmental good of the UK. The jobs will go elsewhere and the profits will go elsewhere. The power installations in the Severn Estuary are designed to last for 120 years.
“Once they have been sold off by the British state, the ability of Wales to benefit from its own natural wealth will have been removed for many generations to come.”
“If we do not fight now to claim these resources for Wales, not only will we suffer, but so will our children and their children. Make no mistake: the Crown Estate and the Department of Energy and Climate Change are even now selling the future of Wales for England’s current needs.”
Madoc said ownership of its maritime renewable power resources was the single most important issue facing Wales today. “The value of these resources is capable of transforming our economy. It is a vital key to unlocking our economic freedom. But if these resources are sold out to private companies, they will be unavailable to us for generations to come.”
Madoc said that under the 1961 Act of Parliament that set up the Crown Estate, it would be easy to transfer ownership of Wales’ offshore energy resources to the Assembly Government for no cost. This is something that is also being looked at in Scotland...and thanks to Madoc perhaps we can begin to shine a little light on what Crown Estates is up to in (and off the coast) of Wales.
Madoc said: “We are all well aware of the way in which the resources of Wales have in the past been used largely for the benefit of others. Although the exploitation of coal and slate in Wales created jobs for hundreds of thousands of people, the great majority of the profits were spirited out of the country by mine owners and the slate quarry owners. The likes of the magnificent edifices of Cardiff Castle and Penrhyn Castle stand as testimony to the enormous wealth that Wales and its people generated for others.”
He noted that Wales’ water had been exploited by others in the past. Madoc cited the flooding of the Tryweryn valley in 1965 to provide water for Liverpool against the will of local people and Welsh MPs, and added: “We now face a further assault on our natural resources. The potential to produce electricity from renewable resources in our offshore waters is huge, and comes from two sources. The first is the exploitation of the wind through offshore wind-farms and the other is the exploitation of maritime energy through tidal and sea current and wave generated power.”
The UK Government has announced that there will be a huge new offshore wind farm off the coast of North Wales called Gwynt y Mor. This development is planned to have a capacity of 576 megawatts which is equal to around 60% of Wylfa nuclear power station’s capacity and sufficient to supply 400,000 households. This represents about 8% of Wales’ total current electricity production. An even bigger wind-farm, part of which is in Welsh waters, is planned further out into the Irish Sea. It will be up to eight times Gwynt y Mor’s size and capable of providing electricity for three million households – far more than the entire population of Wales.
It's worth noting that another large wind-farm is also being planned for the Bristol Channel. And it is worth remembering that the UK Government has been consulting on the generation of electricity through tidal power in the Severn Estuary, and is now reviewing a shortlist of proposals. The amount of electricity that could be generated in the Welsh waters of the Severn Estuary alone could be enough to supply another three million households or more. Yet Wales was not mentioned once in the economic consultation paper.
Madoc said: “Does Wales need such an enormous increase in its capacity to generate electricity? Even now it exports about 20% of the electricity it generates to England, and a new gas-fired power station has recently been opened in Pembrokeshire.
"Our hillsides are increasingly being covered in wind turbines and there are proposals to build a new nuclear power station at Wylfa. These huge new energy facilities are being built to feed England’s need for additional electricity, not our own.
“Who benefits? The new Gwynt y Mor wind farm is owned by three German companies: Siemens, who will be building the turbines in Europe, RWE the German power company and the municipal utility company of Munich, a publicly owned body that believes in renewable energy.
“Who is the owner and who decides? The Crown Estate owns the seabed around the UK out to the 12 nautical mile territorial limit, and 65% of the Welsh foreshore. It also owns the mineral rights on or under the seabed from the coastline out to the edge of the UK continental shelf, not including oil and gas.
“It is the Crown Estate that not only owns our seabed but also decides on the licences for who can exploit them. The Welsh Government has no planning powers for power stations above a paltry 50MW. Electricity generation, transmission and supply of electricity are specifically excluded from powers that would be transferred under the referendum.”
The Crown Estate, yet another useful quango was created in 1961. Its excess profits find there way to the Treasury. Working together with other departments in Whitehall, the Crown Estate decides how the natural resources should be parcelled out, how they should be exploited and who should get the benefit.
Madoc noted that any energy sales from these power stations would be worth many hundreds of millions of pounds a year once their development costs had been paid off.
“Ownership and control of these assets would transform the finances of the Welsh Government and provide a springboard for the development of new renewable energy job opportunities in Wales,” he said.
“Our own resources are being stolen under our noses in the name of the environmental good of the UK. The jobs will go elsewhere and the profits will go elsewhere. The power installations in the Severn Estuary are designed to last for 120 years.
“Once they have been sold off by the British state, the ability of Wales to benefit from its own natural wealth will have been removed for many generations to come.”
“If we do not fight now to claim these resources for Wales, not only will we suffer, but so will our children and their children. Make no mistake: the Crown Estate and the Department of Energy and Climate Change are even now selling the future of Wales for England’s current needs.”
Madoc said ownership of its maritime renewable power resources was the single most important issue facing Wales today. “The value of these resources is capable of transforming our economy. It is a vital key to unlocking our economic freedom. But if these resources are sold out to private companies, they will be unavailable to us for generations to come.”
Madoc said that under the 1961 Act of Parliament that set up the Crown Estate, it would be easy to transfer ownership of Wales’ offshore energy resources to the Assembly Government for no cost. This is something that is also being looked at in Scotland...and thanks to Madoc perhaps we can begin to shine a little light on what Crown Estates is up to in (and off the coast) of Wales.
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