Climate

Wales ‘behind curve’ on nature loss due to delays

Published

11 months ago

June 6, 2025

SENEDD Members warned Wales is playing catch-up after the Welsh Government took more than seven years to bring forward a bill to plug gaps in environmental protections.

Delyth Jewell expressed concerns about delays in introducing the environment bill which aims to reverse nature loss, with one in six species now at risk of extinction in Wales.

Plaid Cymru’s shadow climate secretary said: “For years, Wales has been behind the curve and we’ve been an unfortunate exception in terms of environmental governance.”

Gaps arising from Brexit left Wales with the weakest environmental governance structures in western Europe, according to the Wales Environment Link charity.

The bill would establish the “long-awaited” Office of Environmental Governance Wales (OEGW) to check public bodies’ environmental performance and hold them to account. Similar bodies were set up in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England in 2021.

In 2018, then-climate secretary Julie James committed to legislation to address the governance gap at the “first opportunity”. Ministers declared a climate emergency in 2019 before appointing an interim environmental protection assessor in 2021.

Ms Jewell, who represents South Wales East, told the Senedd: “At last, I welcome the fact that we’re now bridging that gap… the need for targets for nature is clear.”

She said: “All of us will want to counter the risk of fine words and good intentions paving the way to a hellscape devoid of those things that make our world diversified, rich and beautiful.”

If passed by the Senedd, the bill would establish a framework for targets on biodiversity and enable the public to challenge public authorities on environmental issues.

Ms Jewell supported calls for headline targets and timeframes, with much of the detail – which is not included in the bill itself – set to follow in regulations.

Giving a statement on June 3 introducing the “landmark, forward-thinking” bill, Labour’s Huw Irranca-Davies said: “It has never been more important to restore nature, mitigate climate change and preserve the natural environment for future generations.

“This legislation forms a critical part of our future approach to doing just that.”

The Deputy First Minister, who is also climate secretary, told Senedd Members: “We may be behind other UK nations but actually we’ve been able to learn the lessons from them.”

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies

Janet Finch-Saunders, the Conservatives’ shadow climate secretary, warned Wales has been lagging on setting biodiversity targets. “This is, I feel… too little, too late,” she said.

She told the Senedd that Wales ranks 224th out of 240 countries on the National History Museum’s biodiversity index, saying: “We’re amongst the lowest 10% in the world”.

Ms Finch-Saunders called for a sense of urgency from ministers as she expressed concerns about a lack of detail in the “very vague” environment bill.

“I would like to encourage the cabinet secretary to ensure that this bill is not rushed through because you’ve left it rather late,” she said.

Mr Irranca-Davies explained the bill goes further in some areas than in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, citing the example of a power to enforce urgent compliance.

“It’s not that we’ve been doing nothing,” he stressed, pointing to planned changes to farming subsidies, clean air legislation, nature restoration grants, planning and transport reforms.

But he accepted: “We do now need to proceed with urgency… to refine and craft this.”

His Labour colleague Jenny Rathbone said: “We do need to get on with it,” warning Wales has, for example, been without a body to prosecute builders failing to install boxes for swifts.

Conservative Samuel Kurtz warned the bill could serve as a “backdoor” to further obligations on farmers of Wales – even for those who opt out of the sustainable farming scheme.

Mr Irranca-Davies replied: “Yes, the targets will be binding… for a long time, a wide range of stakeholders have called – in fact we heard it from your own benches – [on us] to get on with this… and yes, of course, it’s binding.”

He said the environmental body would be established two weeks after the bill receives royal assent but cautioned “it will take time to put in place” due to appointments and logistics.

In 2023, the Senedd’s climate committee – which Mr Irranca-Davies was then a member of – warned it would be an “unforgivable failure” if the body was not fully operational in 2026.

Climate

Welsh windfarms to power major construction materials firm

Published

1 day ago

May 3, 2026

Rieve Nesbitt-Marr

A MAJOR construction materials company has signed a long-term deal to use renewable energy from Welsh windfarms as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions.

Energy firm RWE has agreed a 15-year contract to supply electricity to Breedon Group plc, which operates sites across Great Britain producing materials including concrete, asphalt and cement.

Under the agreement, RWE will provide around 70 gigawatt hours of renewable electricity each year from its windfarm portfolio.

The power will initially come from the Gwynt y Môr offshore windfarm, about 24km off the coast of North Wales in the Irish Sea. From 2033, supply will switch to the Brechfa Forest West onshore windfarm in Wales.

The electricity will support the production of key building materials, helping Breedon reduce emissions linked to its energy use in a sector widely regarded as difficult to decarbonise.

RWE said the agreement highlighted the role renewable energy can play in helping heavy industry move towards lower-carbon operations.

Olaf Lubenow, head of commodity solutions at RWE, said: “This agreement underlines our commitment to supporting the construction materials sector on its journey towards a more sustainable future.

“By supplying renewable electricity from our wind portfolio, we are helping to reduce the carbon footprint of Breedon’s operations.”

Breedon said the deal would also provide long-term energy stability while supporting its wider sustainability plans.

Donna Hunt, the company’s sustainability director, said the agreement marked “a meaningful step forward”.

She said: “It secures long-term energy supply and helps accelerate the reduction of emissions from our operations.”

The company has set targets to cut emissions across its business by more than 20% by 2030 and to reach net zero by 2050.

The agreement reflects a growing trend of major industrial firms turning to renewable energy to help meet climate targets while managing rising energy costs.

Business

Pembroke Power Station National Grid shutdown power plans

Published

3 days ago

May 1, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL to site specialist diesel generators at Pembroke Power Station to help keep the lights on in the event of a National Grid shutdown has been lodged with county planners.

In a screening application to Pembrokeshire County Council, RWE Generation UK PLC, through Ove Arup & Partners Ltd, wants to site up to six containerised diesel generators, diesel storage tank(s) and electrical connections at Pembroke Power Station, Pwllcrochan, near Pembroke.

The application site is within the site of the existing Pembroke Power Station, a combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) station which began commercial operation in September 2012, with a gross consented capacity of about 2,199 megawatts electric (MWe), replacing the previous oil-fired power station which operated for almost 30 years and was decommissioned in 1999.

A supporting statement says, subject to confirmation, it is considered to comprise permitted development, the scheme “a standalone plant, with its own fuel supply, capable of starting up, operating and shutting down independently from the power station”.

It adds: “It is required only in an emergency to maintain plant status and keep the power station operationally ‘ready’ in the event of a total or partial shutdown of the National Grid system. It is not required for the normal operation of the power station and does not extend its capacity, which remains as already consented, therefore it is not considered a change or extension.”

On need, it says it is mandatory that all electricity generators of over a megawatt have to adopt a new minimum standard of asset resilience; power stations “must be capable of restoring demand on the National Grid electricity transmission system in the event of a total or partial shutdown of the National Grid system”.

“The Power Station does not currently meet this new asset resilience standard, therefore new back-up power, control philosophy and on-site services that support site critical systems enabling the power station to remain ready to operate must be implemented.

“RWE is required to install a new enhanced emergency site auxiliary solution (diesel generators and diesel storage tanks) at the power station for resilience against the failure of the interconnected electricity distribution network into which it is normally connected in order to satisfy the Grid Code requirements by the mandated implementation deadline of December 31, 2026.

“RWE will make operational and fuelling provision, within its new resilience design at Pembroke power station of up to 120 hours, in order to provide capability to a slightly enhanced standard known to be valued by the National Energy System Operator (‘NESO’) in certain emergency network scenarios.”

It says construction is hoped to start in July 2026, lasting approximately nine to 12 months, the main part across the summer months.

The call will be considered by county planners at a later date.

Business

Pembrokeshire St Brides Castle biomass and solar scheme

Published

4 days ago

May 1, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS for a green energy scheme at a Pembrokeshire former country house which is now holiday apartments have been given the go-ahead.

In an application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, HPB Ltd, through agent Acanthus Holden Architects, sought permission for a biomass boiler plant and installation of 16 rows of solar panels to the south of the tennis courts, St Brides Castle, St Brides, along with the removal of two tennis courts, two polytunnels, two sheds and relocation of a container.

Marloes and St Brides Community Council: Supporting

An officer report recommending approval said: “St Brides Castle. Listed Grade II* is a former country house (now holiday apartments) just south-west of the small settlement of St Brides.

“The house and its listed ancillary buildings stand prominently within a large grade-II-registered park and garden. The development site lies immediately south of the registered asset, outside of its boundary.”

It added: “Although in a sensitive location, the proposed scheme is well-screened, utilising an existing hedged enclosure. The proposed panels do not protrude over the hedge line, the proposed extra planting to the south and west providing further screening. The proposed building, also well-screened, is of traditional design, proportions and materials.”

The application was conditionally approved by park planners.