MAKING THE RIGHT DECISION

The news that the latest sets of questionable plans for a £25 billion pound barrage across the Severn Estuary have been kicked into touch by MPs at Westminster should be welcomed. The House of Commons' Energy and Climate Change Committee criticised a "lack of information and noted a perceived lack of transparency" about the proposal.

The MPs stated that the case for the barrage is "unproven" and that Hafren Power had failed to provide robust and independently verified evidence of the economic, environmental and technological viability of the project. The MPs were warned about the potential of job losses in nearby ports, and came to the conclusion that the barrage scheme did not provide a solution to meeting renewable energy targets and it should not go ahead in its current form.

Hafren Power wanted to build an 11-mile barrage between Lavernock Point near Penarth, Vale of Glamorgan, and Brean near Weston-super-Mare, Somerset. In their report MPs said Hafren had failed to make the case that it would be good for the economy or the environment.

This is a sensible decision on the part of MPs in Westminster should, mean that the way is clear to consider more sustainable less environmentally damaging energy schemes. There are plenty of potential options out there including tidal lagoons (as proposed for Swansea Bay), tidal fences and wave power projects which could produce far more energy over a far longer period (and generate sustainable jobs).

When it comes to generating energy and jobs (here in Wales) it is well worth noting that both New Labour and the Conservatives failed to honour their Welsh general election manifesto promise in 2011 to increase the 1 MW limit for off-shore and 50 MW for on-shore threshold for planning for energy projects – something that does not help us here in Wales. This failure effectively threatens to prevent the development of potential energy schemes above that threshold as they have to be decided in Westminster rather than in Wales.

Back in January 2012, Plaid MP Jonathan Edwards called for energy powers to be transferred to the Welsh Government; his bill would have given the Welsh Government powers over energy generation in Wales. The bill (which was blocked by Labour and Conservative MPs, defeated by 239 votes to 44) would have ensured equality with Scotland and Northern Ireland and would have meant that Wales would have been better placed to fight fuel poverty with responsibility for our own resources.

I have for some time had serious concerns about any proposed Severn Barrage, it does not generate enough energy over a long enough period to justify the cost and it would be environmentally damaging. A more logical solution would be to build tidal lagoons, the one proposed for Swansea Bay would be ideal to test out the technology. Previous attempts to develop this technology (here in Wales) have been repeatedly stalled and delayed by a hostile Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and then powerless (but now vision-less and clueless) Welsh Government.

The last thing we seriously need to do is limit the amount of sustainable energy we can develop, we need to maximise the period of generation well beyond the 3 hour energy pulse offered by all previous incarnations of the barrage. A combination of tidal lagoons and other energy schemes could offer release energy for a far longer period than 3 hours and minimise any damage to the environment. By using a variety of options we could generate sustainable jobs and make Wales a world leader in developing the energy generation technology.

A ROAD TO NOWHERE…

We have had a fantasy barrage (as proposed by Peter ‘the Pain’ Hain) and now we have a road to nowhere which press reports suggest that Chancellor George Osborne will announce plans to support a new toll motorway in June's comprehensive spending review. The one thing Wales does not need is yet another expensive toll road with yet a franchise holder milking it for every penny and pound that they can squeeze out of us.

Interestingly enough the BBC suggests that Westminster sources have confirmed that an agreement in principle had been reached but a deal on funding was not finalised. Considering that when the Welsh Government looked at this option it was binned on grounds of cost.  One of the reason why, when Plaid was in government (between 2007 and 2011) that the M4 Gwent Levels relief road was dropped was that it was unaffordable.

During the botched consultation in the spring of 2012, the one option that made the most sense was the one that would have involved the grade separation of some junctions and partial or full closure of other junctions on the Newport A48 Southern Distributor Road (SDR) which should be a real alternative route to the M4. Price wise that would have come in at around £300m, this would be more affordable that the £ 1 billion pounds plus that any Gwent Levels M4 relief road would cost.

Plaid Cymru Economy and Transport spokesperson Jonathan Edwards MP said:

"Plaid Cymru when in government looked afresh at the needs of the M4 and Wales-England transport corridor under Ieuan Wyn Jones. This included the principle of tolling, which we rejected. We embarked on a programme of improvements, including the Newport distributor road and the rail electrification, which could alleviate congestion and meet both business and environmental objectives. These need to be fully rolled out as an alternative to a highly expensive, environmentally damaging brand new motorway. The proposal that such a motorway would be tolled in Wales is the worst of all scenarios as we need to attract business investment not put it off with a penalty charge for coming to Wales.

“Wales has a real need for useful infrastructure spending, linking all parts of our nation and increasing connectivity. Rather than tolls, what's needed is a swift implementation of the Silk recommendations and a Barnett floor so we can borrow effectively and efficiently to invest.

“But does anyone seriously think that charging motorists to cross the Severn Bridge and then charging them again to use the motorway a few miles later is going to make south Wales more economically competitive?

“The only other toll road in the UK is the M6 in the Midlands which has seen toll prices rise by 175% since it was opened but the number of users plummet. It has also done nothing to reduce congestion. The lack of any other toll road proposals shows what people think.

“Wales has a greater capacity for borrowing money because we don’t have as many debts due to PFI, but we have to make sure that this is invested in schemes which will pay their way both in the short and longer term for the economy and sustainability."

The Party of Wales former Transport Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones said:

“The reason that the M4 relief road was abandoned was not simply the issue of affordability at £1 billion but also the fact that I was advised that not only was the new relief road to be subjected to tolls, so was the existing M4 to be tolled. This was due to the evidence that had been gained during the operation of the M6 toll road which had never made any money. I came to the conclusion that it was simply unacceptable for motorists to have to pay tolls on the Severn bridges and on the existing M4 and new relief road. There was already significant complaints about the tolls on the Severn bridges and this additional burden on motorists and businesses could not possibly be justified. That is why I accepted my officials’ advice not to proceed with the relief road but to ease congestion around Newport by linking into the southern distribution road as an alternative route.”

IT’S FANTASY BARRAGE AGAIN!

Fantasy Barrage

The potentially fatal combination of Peter Hain’s desperate search for gainful employment (with no doubt much emphasis on the gain) and David Cameron’s attempts to save face by finding a Plan B to restore economic growth, offers us (again) yet another version of the all singing and all dancing Severn Barrage. That aside, we do need to seriously discuss making best use of the renewable energy potential of the Severn estuary and to seriously consider a wide range of options to develop as much energy as possible.

As I have said before, when I was young there Fantasy Island (on TV), now we will have Fantasy Barrage, which promises all things to all people all the time – but at a price - financially for starters we are now talking about up to £30 - 34 billion pounds. The resurrection of the Severn Barrage scheme (yet again) should make us wonder about the sanity (financial or otherwise) or the sincerity of some of the usual suspects.

I have no doubt that the usual glib fatuous statements about the project being the solution to all of South Wales’s economic and transport woes will continue to be trotted out. If it sounds too good because it simply is - it's a fantasy, yes we need to develop the renewable energy resources of the Severn estuary, and we would be certifiable not too.

A combination of tidal lagoons, tidal fences, and turbines based in tidal current rich areas and wave energy generation technology (currently being tested off Scotland) and some carefully situated off-shore wind farms could generate a significant amount of sustainable energy with significantly less environmental damage, and generate sustainable jobs and exportable technology to boot.

New Labour and the Conservatives failure to honour their Welsh general election manifesto promise in 2011 to increase the 1 MW limit for off-shore and 50 MW for on-shore threshold for planning for energy projects does not help us here in Wales. This failure effectively prevents the development of potential energy schemes above that threshold as they have to be decided in Westminster rather than in Wales.

Plaid MP Jonathan Edwards (in January 2012) called for energy powers to be transferred to the Welsh Government, his bill would have given the Welsh Government powers over energy generation in Wales. The bill (blocked by Labour and Conservative MPs, defeated by 239 votes to 44) would have ensured equality with Scotland and Northern Ireland and would have meant that Wales would have been better placed to fight fuel poverty with responsibility for our own resources.

I have some serious concerns about any Severn Barrage, it does not generate enough energy over a long enough period to justify the cost and it would be environmentally damaging. A more logical solution would be to build tidal lagoons, one in Swansea Bay would be ideal to test out the technology but has been repeatedly stalled and delayed by a hostile Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and then powerless (but now vision-less and clueless) Welsh Government.

The last thing we need to do is limit the amount of sustainable energy we can develop, we need to maximise the period of generation well beyond the 3 hour energy pulse offered by all previous incarnations of the barrage. A combination of tidal lagoons and other energy schemes could offer release energy for a far longer period than 3 hours and minimise any damage to the environment. By using a variety of options we could generate sustainable jobs and make Wales a world leader in developing the energy generation technology.

A SERIOUS DEBATE?

It is time for a renewed debate on how we can harness the renewable energy potential of the Severn estuary. We need to consider a wide range of options to develop as much energy as possible without wrecking the environment. Now as I have said before, when I was a child there Fantasy Island was on TV, now it appears we will have Fantasy Barrage, which promises all things to all people all the time – but at a price - financially for starters we are now talking about up to £34 billion pounds.

The resurrection of the Severn Barrage scheme (yet again) could make you wonder about the sanity (financial or otherwise) of some of the usual suspects. I have no doubt that the usual glib fatuous statements about the project being the solution to all of South Wales’s economic and transport woes will be trotted. If it sounds too good because it simply is - it's a fantasy, yes we need to develop the renewable energy resources of the Severn estuary, we would be certifiable not too.



A combination of tidal lagoons, tidal fences, turbines based in tidal current rich areas and wave energy generation technology (currently being tested off Scotland) and some carefully situated off-shore wind farms could generate a significant amount of sustainable energy with significantly less environmental damage and jobs to boot. Perhaps if the Labour and the Conservatives had honoured their Welsh general election manifesto promise (in 2011) to increase the present 50 MW limit (which prevents the development of potential energy schemes above that threshold) as they are decided in Westminster rather than in Wales.

Back in January, Plaid MP Jonathan Edwards called for energy powers to be transferred to the Welsh Government, his bill would have given the Welsh Government powers over energy generation in Wales. The bill would also have ensured equality with Scotland and Northern Ireland and would have meant that Wales would have been better placed to fight fuel poverty with responsibility for our own resources.

Very fair and entirely reasonable you might think, but Mr Edwards motion was voted down by Labour MPs, who were more than happy to team up with Conservatives MPs to stop their own party in Wales taking these powers. The proposal was defeated by 239 votes to 44 after Labour and Conservative MPs teamed up together against the Bill.

I and more than a few other people have some serious concerns about any Severn Barrage, firstly is does not generate enough energy over a long enough period to justify the cost and it would be environmentally damaging. A more logical solution would be to build tidal lagoons, one in Swansea Bay would be ideal to test out the technology but has been repeatedly stalled and delayed by a hostile Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and previously powerless (but now vision-less) Welsh Government.

We need to maximise the period of generation well beyond the 3 hour energy pulse offered by previous incarnations of the barrage have offered. This is something that a combination of tidal lagoons and other energy schemes could offer release energy for a far longer period than 3 hours. By using a variety of options we could generate sustainable jobs and skills not to mention make Wales a world leader in developing the energy generation technology.

I welcomed the news that former Wales and Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain has resigned - perhaps jumped before he was pushed would have been closer to the truth - from the shadow cabinet - I for one won't miss him. The news that he plans to act as effectively a salaried lobbyist (for he remains paid by us as MP for Neath) to campaign for a barrage across the Severn estuary, did little to excite me. His desire for gainful employment should be welcomed, but, I would ask just exactly who he will be representing in the House of Commons? And should he not declare an interest?

FANTASY BARRAGE

FANTASY BARRAGE

When I was a child there was a TV programme called Fantasy Island, now it seems we have Fantasy Barrage, which makes much of promising all things to all people – but at a price (financially we are now talking about up to £34 billion pounds). The resurrection of the Severn Barrage scheme (once again) could make you wonder about the sanity (financial or otherwise) of some of the usual suspects. I have no doubt that the usual suspects will trot out the usual glib statements about the project being the solution to all of South Wales’s economic woes.

It sounds good the problem is that it's a fantasy, yes we need to develop the renewable energy resources of the Severn estuary, we would be mad not too. I have serious concerns about any Severn Barrage, firstly is does not generate enough energy over a log enough period and secondly it would be environmentally damaging. A more logical solution would be to build tidal lagoons (one in Swansea Bay would be ideal to test out the technology but has been repeatedly stalled and delayed by a hostile Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) and previously powerless (but now vision-less) Welsh Government.

A combination of tidal lagoons, tidal fences, turbines based in tidal current rich areas and wave energy generation technology (currently being tested in Scotland) and some carefully situated off-shore wind farms could generate a significant amount of sustainable energy. The need is to stretch the period of generation beyond the 3 hour energy pulse offered by previous incarnations of the barrage have offered. This is something that a combination of tidal lagoons and other energy schemes could offer release energy for a far longer period than 3 hours. By using a variety of options we could generate sustainable jobs and skills not to mention make Wales a world leader in developing the energy generation technology – any takers?