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Welsh wind industry calls for swift action on renewable energy targets

July 9, 2008

Wales's biggest ever renewable energy conference opens in Cardiff

Delegates from the UK wind, wave and tidal industries will gather in Cardiff tomorrow for BWEA Cymru 08, the largest ever conference dedicated to Wales's renewable energy sector. The conference is taking place in St David's Hotel Cardiff, with more than 200 delegates and 25 exhibitors in attendance.

Jane Davidson AM, the Welsh Assembly Government Environment Minister, will open the conference with a speech outlining WAG's ambitious plans for Wales's electricity supply to be powered entirely from renewables by 2028.

WAG's recently published Renewable Energy Route Map called for Wales to produce 33 Terrawatt hours (TWh) of renewable electricity a year. Wind's contribution to this total means installing over 3,000MW of capacity - the equivalent of at least 3 Wyfla nuclear power stations - in Wales by 2028.

John Woodruff, Chairman of BWEA Cymru said "The self sufficiency target is bold and exciting, but we need concrete measures on the ground in order to deliver it." He added "Too many wind farms are stuck in planning for far too long. Wales is already in danger of missing its much weaker 2010 target of 800MW of onshore wind and 200MW of offshore wind."

So far only one 4.5 MW wind farm, consisting of 3 turbines, was built in Wales in the last 12 months.

The conference will hear calls for the WAG Energy Strategy, which is expected to be published this Autumn, to contain strong new measures to make sure that WAG's ambitions are not frustrated by foot dragging from local authorities.

BWEA Cymru is calling for the Energy Strategy to include:

  • A new series of interim targets for renewable electricity generated annually:
    • 2015 - 10TWh
    • 2020 - 15TWh
    • 2025 - 25TWh
    • 2030 - 33TWh
  • Stronger planning guidance to local authorities to ensure that they meet their TAN8 obligations.
  • A commitment to work with industry, OFGEM and National Grid to upgrade grid connections, particularly in Mid Wales & offshore.
The UK Government recently announced its own ambitious plans to deliver 15% of the UK's energy supply from renewables by 2020. That would mean 35-40% of the UK's electricity coming from renewables within 12 years, with wind providing the bulk of this total.

Woodruff commented " Wales has rich natural resources which could be powering our economy- we should be a powerhouse for renewable energy'. He added 'However, without swift action to kickstart the planning approvals process and sort out grid connections Wales will miss the bus on renewable energy.'