Climate
West Wales health board to cut its energy bill by £100,000 per year

HYWEL DDA Health board has launched an innovative, yet simple ‘Switch it off’ campaign to help drastically reduce both its energy usage and costs.
The campaign consists of ‘switching off’ all non-essential equipment when not in use; from computer monitors and laptops to medical equipment, lights, and radiators. This is one of the several initiatives being delivered as part of Hywel Dda’s Decarbonisation Delivery Plan. All of which are aimed at helping to reduce energy costs and CO2 emissions for non-essential equipment by around 20%, which could save around £100,000 per year.
From March 2022 to April 2023, the health board reported spending almost £14 million on energy, producing more than 20 million kg in CO2 emissions. It was evident action needed to be taken to meet its targets to reduce emissions to just 34% by 2030 as set out in the NHS Wales Decarbonisation Strategic Delivery Plan.
Sarah Thorne, Senior One Health Practitioner at Hywel Dda, who has been leading on the implementation of the campaign said: “The ‘Switch-it-off’ campaign is something we expect everyone across the health board and hospital to get involved in. If we all work together, we will see those changes immediately.
“While analysing our energy usage, we discovered that leaving just one TV or PC monitor on standby, instead of switching it off, can waste almost £25 of electricity per year. We have over 6000 screens across the hospital and offices within the health board so if everyone switched off their screen when they weren’t using it, it could help to save a huge amount of money, while also reducing CO2 emissions. It is simple actions like this that will have a massive impact.”
As well as launching the ‘Switch it off’ campaign, the health board has benefitted from Estates Funding Advisory Board (EFAB) funding and Salix funding to support the delivery of a range of decarbonisation projects such as roof mounted Photovoltaics (PV), heat pumps, and solar canopies. It has also made a start in switching its lightbulbs to LED energy saving ones and is planning to install light sensors in communal areas such as toilets and kitchens. Earlier this year, the health board also received funding to install its own solar farm which provides sustainable electricity to power some services, reducing carbon emissions and promoting biodiversity in the area.
Julie James, Minister for Climate Change said: “The ‘Switch it off’ campaign from Hywel Dda is a great example of how organisations can inspire and empower their staff to work together to reduce both carbon emissions, energy usage, costs, and our impact on the environment.
“If everyone could do their bit by ‘switching off’ unnecessarily appliances, it would make a huge difference to the amount of energy we use, which will in turn help us to create a cleaner, greener Wales.”
The Welsh Government has committed to taking action on climate change. Since 2019, the Welsh Government has helped people access greener energy choices. Investing £120million in energy efficiency improvements to social housing through the Optimised Retrofit programme, helping around 148,000 people to live in homes that are cheaper and more efficient to run. The Nest scheme has supported tens of thousands of people to improve the energy efficiency of their home, while in turn reducing energy bills and improving health and wellbeing.
The Welsh Government has also backed flagships schemes such as Ripple Energy’s Wind turbine cooperative, Morriston Hospital’s solar farm and Pobl’s Penderi shared energy initiative, which has seen a community generate and share its own renewable energy. Pilots like these pave the way for similar projects in the future, enabling more people to save money on their energy.
For more advice on how you can reduce your energy use visit climateaction.gov.wales
Climate
Net-zero Wales and the generation game

THIS WEEK’S episode of Panorama explored the significant clean energy projects creating tension across Britain.
“Rewiring Britain: The Race to Go Green” examined the UK’s efforts to create a greener, more sustainable energy infrastructure. It highlighted the challenges and opportunities associated with reducing carbon emissions, increasing renewable energy sources, and modernizing the national grid.
The programme incidentally highlighted an unusual set of data about Wales’s contribution of net-zero energy to the UK’s National Grid.
BBC Reporter Justin Rowlatt visited the headquarters of the National Energy System Operator (NESO). NESO ensures that Great Britain has the necessary energy by matching supply with demand every second of every day.It also monitors the contributions made to the UK energy grid from net-zero sources.
In a cutaway shot establishing that just over half of the UK’s energy came from net-zero sources.
The UK is divided into six distribution network licence areas, as shown in the screenshot accompanying this article.
What draws the eye, at least Welsh eyes, is the amount of net-zero energy provided by the area covering South Wales and South West England.
That amount was zero on the day the BBC attended NESO HQ. Given the number of large green energy infrastructure projects in South Wales, this seems astonishing. It is even more astonishing when one considers the large green energy projects across the South West of England.
An examination of the data underlying the chart shows why that is the case: almost three-quarters of ALL energy generated in South Wales comes from fossil fuels. That means that all of the net-zero energy generated in South Wales is consumed in the region and is not exported as surplus to the UK Grid.
To check our conclusion we asked NESO a series of questions, the answers to which confirmed that South Wales (the figures for North Wales are in the North West area on the screenshot), was not a net exporter of green energy to the grid.
When we checked earlier this week, we confirmed that was still the case.
Those data appear to run a coach and horses through claims that Wales is leading the way in green energy.
As it stands, South Wales isn’t even generating enough net-zero energy to power homes and businesses across South Wales. As planned green energy projects, such as the controversial plan to erect a chain of pylons and windfarms across rural Wales, focus on energy production for homes and businesses outside Wales, the benefits to the South Wales economy of supposedly “green” infrastructure projects appear marginal.
The UK government asserts that building new pylons, solar plants, wind turbines, and electricity substations is essential for achieving its ambitious goal of decarbonizing the country’s electricity by 2030. To expedite these projects and stimulate the economy, the government plans to “streamline” the planning process. However, many protesters contend that this approach risks overlooking their objections.
While some praise the UK government’s reforms, which aim to accelerate energy projects, there has also been significant criticism. Many stakeholders—including environmental groups, local communities, and planning experts—express concerns about the erosion of local democracy and community input. Critics warn that these proposed changes may undermine local decision-making by prioritizing national targets over community interests and feedback.
Despite the necessity of green energy projects for reducing carbon emissions, there are worries that large developments, such as solar farms and wind turbines, could negatively impact local ecosystems and biodiversity if not carefully managed.
Furthermore, the government faces criticism for not adequately addressing how to balance the need for renewable energy with other priorities, including housing development and infrastructure. The use of agricultural land for solar farms or bioenergy crops raises additional concerns about food security and the loss of productive farmland.
Large-scale renewable projects, especially wind turbines, can significantly alter landscapes. This has led to resistance from residents and conservationists who value the rural areas’ visual and cultural heritage. For example, in Lincolnshire, proposed solar farms are set to cover an area larger than Greater Manchester. Critics argue that the government’s focus on large-scale projects overlooks the potential benefits of smaller, community-led initiatives and energy efficiency measures, which could also play a crucial role in decarbonization.
The drive to achieve net zero, or at least energy self-sufficiency and energy security, is admirable in intent. However, marrying ambitions and outputs with the views of those whose homes, land, and lives will be most affected by the infrastructure and structures needed to support them is as far away as ever.
Business
Giant solar farm could be built on edge of Haverfordwest

THE EARLY stages of a scheme for a potential 20MW solar farm just a mile from Haverfordwest which it is said would provide power for 6,000 homes has been submitted to county planners.
Amberside Energy Ltd submitted a scoping opinion to Pembrokeshire County Council for the for the proposed solar farm and grid connection on land close to Haverfordwest golf club, just off the main A40 road, ahead of a formal application.
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Screening Request for land to the north of the A40/Narberth Road, And East of Haverfordwest, Boulston and Slebech was prepared by Stephenson Halliday Ltd, on behalf of Amberside Energy Ltd has been adopted by council planners prior to the submission of a formal planning application.
Supporting documents with the request say: “The proposed development will export approximately 20MW which is anticipated to connect to the national grid at the nearby substation located approximately 500m west of the site’s access. The proposed development will comprise solar photovoltaic panels, inverters, perimeter stock fencing, access tracks, and CCTV. Planning permission will be sought for a temporary period of 40 years from the date of first exportation of electricity.
“The planning application submission will include the private wire grid connection, facilitated via underground cables to connect the Solar Farm to the point of connection.”
It adds: “The photovoltaic panels within the Site would generate up to 20MW of electricity, to be exported to the national grid. The Proposed Development will produce enough clean energy for approximately 6,000 homes, helping to contribute to the Government’s legally binding Net Zero target and to secure the nation’s energy supply in the context of a volatile global market.”
It says the site is adjacent to two separate solar developments with separate grid connections; Shoalshook Solar farm and Fenton Home Solar farm, but would operate in isolation to any of these neighbouring solar farms.
A formal planning application will be supported by a Landscape and Visual Appraisal (LVA), the application says, adding: “Overall, given the siting and nature of the proposed development, no significant visual impacts are anticipated.”
Climate
GB energy bill backed despite concerns Senedd could be bypassed

SENEDD Members signed off on Westminster’s GB energy bill despite concerns about duplication and the Welsh Parliament being bypassed in future.
Llŷr Gruffydd raised concerns about the “inadequacies” of the legislative consent motion (LCM) process by which the Senedd consents to UK legislation on devolved matters.
The Senedd climate committee chair warned of potential overlap between GB Energy and the Welsh Government’s Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, two publicly owned energy companies.
Mike Hedges, who chairs the legislation committee, said clause six of the bill would confer wide-ranging powers on UK ministers that could have a direct impact on devolved areas.
He pointed out that assurances on consultation from the UK Government are not binding.

Mr Hedges said: “This does not adequately reflect the Senedd as a legitimate democratic legislative body for Wales and does not address the fact that the Senedd will be sidelined during the future exercise of the delegated powers.”
Samuel Kurtz, the Conservatives’ shadow economy secretary, described GB Energy as “yet another example of Labour’s habit of overpromising and underdelivering”.
He said: “Keir Starmer pledged that GB Energy would cut household bills by £300 and create 1,000 new jobs in Aberdeen, but within weeks, the reality is unravelling.
“GB Energy’s own chairman admits that delivering on these promises could take upwards of 20 years and, even worse, in the short term, the number of jobs created will be around 200 or 300 – far short of the 1,000 promised during the election.”

Describing the bill as a gimmick, Mr Kurtz added: “It won’t lower bills tomorrow; it won’t lower bills next year or even in five years. GB Energy chair Juergen Maier couldn’t even say when the mythical £300 savings would occur.”
Labour’s Lee Waters raised the example of Norway’s sovereign wealth fund which invests in renewable energy around the world.
He told the chamber: “Surely, for energy generated within these lands, it’s not absurd for our own government to want to capture that for the benefit of our citizens rather than the benefit of other countries’ citizens.”

Plaid Cymru’s Luke Fletcher said: “The government itself has said that there is little information on the operational and practical aims of GB Energy, that is of concern.”
He concluded: “What we need to see is what is GB Energy about, where is it going, how is it going to interact with those Welsh institutions.
“That’s the important thing here – the sovereignty of the Welsh Government and this place. For that reason, we’ll be voting against the LCM.”
Rebecca Evans pointed to an amendment under clause five which strengthened a requirement to consult Welsh ministers to a requirement to gain consent.
The Welsh Government’s economy secretary said: “Where time allows, we will provide an opportunity for the Senedd to express a view before consent is formally given.”

Ms Evans told the Senedd: “I see this as really being an opportunity for strong collaboration, rather than an area where we should be concerned about duplication, competition or conflict.
“I think there are wonderful opportunities for us to work with Great British Energy to realise the huge renewable energy potential that we have here in Wales.”
Senedd Members voted 30-26 in favour of legislative consent on February 4, with Labour and the Lib Dems in favour while Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives were against.
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