Freedom Central » energy

Assembly Committee to investigate energy from waste plants

Freedom Central — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:46:01 +0000

The BBC reports that the National Assembly’s petitions committee, under the chairmanship of Welsh Liberal Democrat AM, William Powell, is to conduct an inquiry into the development of waste incinerators around Wales after receiving three separate petitions opposing energy from waste plants planned in south east and north Wales:

The prospect of energy from waste incinerators has its roots in the Welsh government’s waste strategy, entitled Towards Zero Waste, which sets out ambitious targets.

By 2025, ministers want 70% of waste recycled and the residual waste that is left phased out of landfill, which is set to attract increasingly punitive taxes as part of a drive to cut the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by tips.

To deal with the 30% that councils are not able to recycle and will not be able to landfill from 2025, local authorities are forming regional alliances across Wales to bring forward household residual waste projects.

The most advanced scheme is Prosiect Gwyrdd, which brings together five councils in south east Wales.

It hopes to make a final choice between two rival proposals – one for Splott in Cardiff and the other for Llanwern on the edge of Newport – by the end of the year.

Close behind is the North Wales Residual Waste Treatment Project, also involving five councils, which has whittled its list of potential providers down to three.

It will invite final tenders from two of them later in the year.

Opinion seems to be polarised on the subject: Haf Elgar, a Friends of the Earth Cymru campaigner, told BBC Radio Wales’ Eye on Wales programme: “We’re concerned that incineration is really on old technology.

“It essentially takes black bin waste and burns it at a high temperature.

“We believe that’s wasteful because other technologies can sort waste and make the most of recycling and re-using valuable materials that are just burnt in incineration.

“Most of the carbon is released into the air as carbon dioxide. Also other particles are released which can be harmful to the environment and can cause air pollution.”

But, according to project director for Prosiect Gwyrdd Mike Williams, local residents living close to sites where energy from waste plants are being proposed should not have any concerns over their health impact.

“Emissions from these facilities are the tightest and most regulated and enforced across Europe,” he said.

“We follow advice from the Environment Agency and the Health Protection Agency who are very confident that these are clean, safe technologies.

“So we don’t think people have anything to worry about from the emissions from these plants.”

Acting to support Welsh solar industry jobs

William Powell AM — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:56:44 +0000

This week I have shown my support for the Welsh solar industry by backing a 17,000 name strong petition against the UK Government’s ill-judged Feed-in-Tariff (FITs) scheme review.

The review was triggered by Treasury concerns over financing and has seen rates cut by over 50% on certain solar tariff rates while the UK Government’s consultation period is still on going. In response, the Renewable Energy Association and the Solar Trade Association presented their 17,000 name (including over 200 organisations) petition to Downing Street on 13th December.

The petition outlined the potential damage and job losses which are likely to result from this change and urged the UK Government to work towards a more effective solution.

The mid consultation change, which took effect this week, has the very real potential to undermine the UK Government’s commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and the promotion of renewable energy. By acting in such a drastic way the UK Government is risking our long term renewable energy requirements for short term savings.

By adding my signature to this important petition I am calling on the UK Government to work with all involved, and amend their plans so a more effective solution can be found. A solution which does not irrevocably damage the UK industry and cost jobs across Wales. I and my colleagues in the Welsh Liberal Democrats will continue to work with the UK Government in order to achieve this goal.

No one is claiming that the tariff rates should remain unchanged, but I am calling for a reasonable and honest consultation. We need to follow the lead of nations like Germany and only step down tariff payments once the industry is strong enough to survive without such measures in place. Slashing the rates to reflect those in Germany in a single step simply will not achieve this, and stands in contradiction to stated UK Government justifications.”

The petition says:

Dear Prime Minister & Deputy Prime Minister,

Please Act Immediately to Secure our Solar Industry

Yesterday the Tariff levels for solar power were cut 50% at six weeks’ notice and before the close of any consultation. Your ministers have signed off proposals which they anticipate could see the sector reduced to a tenth of its current size, at the cost of tens of thousands of jobs.

Failure to secure a sensible solution to the unfolding crisis in the solar power industry makes no sense for tax-payers, consumers or voters;

• With stable support, this game-changing technology can deliver subsidy-free green power shortly after this Parliament, empowering consumers and transforming competition in the electricity sector.
• The solar industry will contribute an estimated £275 million to HMT in VAT and employment taxes this year – more than the FIT scheme costs.
• You committed specifically in your Coalition Agreement to increasing opportunities for communities to generate renewable power.
• Allowing the solar sector to collapse will waste both public investment to date and the opportunity to strengthen the UK’s position in this vital global industry.

We urge you to intervene and secure sufficient budget (or budget flexibility) to sustain the companies and jobs you have created in the solar power sector until the end of this Parliament.

Solar power is the UK’s second largest renewable energy resource and the industry has delivered exceptional cost reductions of 30-40% since the start of the FIT scheme. Yet crucial decisions are being taken now without DECC reappraising solar’s potential in the light of this striking industry development. If the UK is to prosper, decision-making must be based on current data and a clear understanding of benefits – we urge you to ensure this happens.

It is clear to us the UK cannot afford to go backwards on solar power.

Wind farm protests must be listened to

Freedom Central — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 08:03:36 +0000

This morning’s Western Mail reports that Welsh Liberal Democrat peer, Lord Thomas of Gresford has warned of the “devastating” potential of wind farms to damage the landscape of Mid Wales, describing their economic benefits as a “total illusion”.

He said: “Surely [the Department for Energy and Climate Change] will not ride roughshod over the united communities of Montgomeryshire, Shropshire and beyond? Which actual government minister will sign off approvals of these applications?

“Who will balance the antagonism of local people, the expressed hostility of their representatives, the obvious environmental considerations, the impact upon tourism and the local economy, against the expensive and limited capacity for generating electricity that these wind farms possess?

“The impact on the people and the beautiful countryside of Mid Wales and Shropshire will be devastating. Eight hundred of these structures in the area proposed is completely and wholly out of proportion.

“If localism means anything at all, the ruination of the hills should be taken by bodies accountable locally.”

UK Government urged to reconsider its Feed-in-Tariff proposals

William Powell AM — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:00:30 +0000

Today I have called on the Westminster Government to reconsider its recent announcement of a reduction in Feed-in-Tariffs (FITs): the price that is paid to people who generate their own electricity and sell the surplus back to the National Grid.

Under the current FITs scheme, those who fit solar panels to existing properties can sell any surplus power back to the Grid for 43.3p/KWh. The Government is proposing to reduce this rate to 21p/KWh for installations registered and fitted after 12th December, 2011.

I fear that this proposed change could undermine the Government’s commitment to reducing our carbon footprint and the promotion of renewable energy. It could act as a major disincentive for families and those who run community facilities to fit solar panels, and seriously jeopardises the UK’s ability to reach its renewable energy targets.

I recognise that the FITs scheme has been a victim of its own success, with nearly three times as many applications received than anticipated, making the initial rates unsustainable in the medium to long term. However, I believe that by making this premature announcement, while the consultation on FITs reform is still underway, the UK Government is risking our long term renewable energy requirements for short term savings.

This proposal may threaten not only domestic green energy generation, but also the very green jobs agenda that we all want to promote. I have today written to Chris Huhne, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, to urge him to reconsider these proposals and continue with the consultation process in order to achieve a fairer alternative.

Call for UK Government policy on shale fracking

Freedom Central — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 08:51:15 +0000

The BBC report that the shadow UK Energy Minister Huw Irranca-Davies has called for the UK government to devise a policy on shale gas. There is potential for multi-million pound reserves lying under south Wales but it is claimed that an extraction method called fracking causes pollution and could lead to earthquakes.

Fracking began in Blackpool this year but has been suspended while a review looks into any link with two recorded earthquakes.

Mr Irranca-Davies said the UK Government must embed shale gas in its wider energy policy. “The reason is that if you look at anything else, whether it’s nuclear, whether it’s oil industry, whether it’s wind and renewables or even tidal they all fit within a proper coherent policy structure. Whereas, with shale gas, we have the risk it will take us unawares.”

Mr. Davies’ remarks reflect similar calls by the Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member, Peter Black.

Referring to proposals to extract shale gas at St. John’s Colliery in Maesteg, he said: “In my view this is serious enough to suggest that any operation in the Maesteg area should be suspended indefinitely until more is known about this process and its impact. Any possibility of contaminated water supply or seismic activity as a result of drilling is unacceptable and must be clearly dealt with before this work can begin.”

Welsh Liberal Democrat peer throws his weight behind wind farm protestors

Freedom Central — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 04:51:27 +0000

News Wales reports that Welsh Liberal Democrat peer and former Montgomeryshire MP, Lord Carlile of Berriew, has condemned the “shocking” attitude of the “Cardiff-centric” Welsh Assembly Government towards protesters campaigning against a network of pylons, wires and wind farms across Mid Wales:

A Deputy High Court judge and QC, Lord Carlile is angry that First Minister Carwyn Jones and John Griffiths, Minister for Environment and Sustainable Development, have so far ignored all requests for a meeting with the protesters.He has warned that if Mr Jones, who has taken personal responsibility for the Welsh Government’s energy policy, does not agree to meet the protesters in Mid Wales, they will be forced to travel to his Bridgend constituency to talk to him.

Lord Carlile has offered to chair a public meeting or a “wind energy and landscape summit” at a neutral venue in Mid Wales, at which Mr Jones will be invited to speak alongside representatives of Renewable UK, National Grid and the protest movement.

“The Welsh Assembly Government’s attitude is really shocking,” said Lord Carlile.“They are behaving much worse than the government before devolution. This is Cardiff-centric government at its worst.

“The First Minister should make himself available for a meeting: otherwise the protestors will have no choice but to visit his surgeries.”

They say that Environment Minister, John Griffiths declined to meet a delegation from the protesters on the day 2,000 people attended a protest rally outside the Senedd in Cardiff on May 24 and that two days after the rally, Mr Jones told the Renewables UK Cymru’s conference that the next 10 years must be “Wales’s energy decade” and he has refused requests to review TAN 8.

They add that Lord Carlile has pledged his full support to campaigners opposing controversial proposals to cover the uplands of Montgomeryshire with windfarms, which will then be connected to the National Grid via a 19-acre substation either near Abermule or Cefn Coch and high powered cables carried by 26 metre and 46 metre pylons.

He says the Tan 8 document, which identifies Montgomeryshire as a prime location for windfarms, has failed to take into account the impact of the turbines on the beautiful landscape and should be reviewed.

Danger of polluting gas

Freedom Central — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 09:06:53 +0000

Peter Black has already raised concerns about plans to extract shale gas in South Wales here, however a subsequent report in this morning’s Western Mail adds to the issues that need to be addressed by the Government before extraction is allowed to go ahead.

They say that research at a leading American university suggests that shale gas is a bigger cause of carbon emissions than coal:

Academics at Cornell University in New York have published research which raises serious doubts about the extraction of natural gas from shale.

The study, led by Professor Robert Howarth, is the first peer-reviewed paper on methane emissions from shale gas, and one of the few exploring the greenhouse gas footprints of conventional gas drilling.

“Natural gas is mostly methane, which is a much more potent greenhouse gas, especially in the short-term, with 105 times more warming impact, pound for pound, than carbon dioxide,” said Prof Howarth, adding that even small leaks during the extraction process make a big difference.

He estimated that as much as 8% of the methane in shale gas leaks into the air during the lifetime of a hydraulic shale gas well – up to twice what escapes from conventional gas production.

“The take-home message of our study is that if you do an integration of 20 years following the development of the gas, shale gas is worse than conventional gas and is, in fact, worse than coal and worse than oil,” he said.

“We are not advocating for more coal or oil, but rather to move to a truly green, renewable future as quickly as possible. We need to look at the true environmental consequences of shale gas.”

William Powell backs revision of TAN 8

Freedom Central — Mon, 30 May 2011 04:31:14 +0000

William Powell, the Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for Mid & West Wales, has backed protestors in calling for a revision of planning guidance on wind farm developments.

Speaking to a rally last week he said: “Welsh Liberal Democrats are clear that we need to work much harder to reduce our energy consumption and finder cleaner and sustainable ways of generating electricity. But whilst Wales must find way of reducing our over reliance on fossil fuels, this cannot be at the expense of our countryside.

“The hub and transmission power lines that are currently threatening Mid Wales are poorly conceived and the electricity companies need to go back to the drawing board.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats are clear that we want to see greater investment in offshore tidal and wind resources, where developments do not affect populations, and promote small scale community renewable energy schemes, rather than large scale projects.

“Unlike the Conservatives who made no commitment whatsoever in their Manifesto on Tan 8, the Welsh Liberal Democrats are committed to a revision of TAN 8 to ensure that it does not put so much pressure on rural mid Wales and that community organisations benefit directly from the money generated by new wind developments.

“We have seen jobs lost as a result of the economic downturn, but the green energy industry is expanding. Many skilled young people are finding work in this new hi-tech sector. So we mustn’t reject wind energy entirely but with careful planning and open debate that takes into account the views of all parties and individuals, I strongly believe we can meet the need for more sustainable energy in a way that is sensitive to local communities.”

Drilling for gas

Freedom Central — Tue, 24 May 2011 07:26:45 +0000

This morning’s Western Mail reports that drilling for shale gas in South Wales came a step closer last night when a cross-party group of MPs gave it the green light and rejected safety concerns:

The Energy and Climate Change committee concluded drilling will not endanger drinking water if properly regulated and should not be stopped.

No evidence was found that the controversial method of extracting underground gas poses a threat to water supplies and objections were described as “hot air”.

The green light from the MPs has encouraged Coastal Oil and Gas to push ahead with exploration in South Wales. An application for exploratory drilling at St John’s Colliery in Maesteg has been approved and the company will reapply for permission to drill at Llandow in the Vale of Glamorgan.

These applications have proved to be enormously controversial and the Committee’s report will lead to much disappointment amongst campaigners:

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “Whilst this technology is well established, with strict regulatory, safety and environmental systems, we fully recognise that there are concerns about the potential impacts of this form of gas extraction. We will therefore consider the findings of this report in detail, and, together with the UK Government and its regulatory agencies, examine the experiences of shale gas drilling in other countries.”

Mick Bates calls on WAG to end rhetoric on climate change

Freedom Central — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 06:38:00 +0000

Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for the Environment and Sustainability, Mick Bates, is calling for an end to the rhetoric on climate change. He is urging the Assembly Government to bring back schemes such as the Powys CO2i domestic energy efficiency and renewable energy project.

Mick Bates was speaking in light of the latest official figures, which show that Wales now ranks 13th in an international league table of the worst emitters of carbon dioxide emissions.

At 15.57 tonnes per person in 2006, Wales’ CO2 emissions are significantly higher than in all three other UK nations, with Northern Ireland standing at 10.17 tonnes per capita, Scotland at 10.02 tonnes and England at 9.26 tonnes per capita.

Mick Bates said: “It is deeply disappointing that with all the Assembly Government’s rhetoric on climate change, carbon dioxide emissions in Wales have only reduced by 1.6% per year since 1990, the base year for calculations.

“If the Labour-Plaid Government has any intention to reach the One Wales target to reduce CO2 emissions by 3% per year from 2011, then they must commit to higher targets. If Wales is to contribute fully to the UK target to reduce carbon emissions by 20% below 1990 levels by 2010, emissions need to reduce by 4.6% per year between 2007 and 2010.

“We urgently need to see more promotion and support for energy efficiency and demand reduction, with more focus on decentralised energy production rather than giving the go-ahead for developments such as the gas-fired power station at Pembroke, which does not even conform to the highest possible environmental standards.”

Powys and Ynys Môn have the highest per capita carbon dioxide emissions from domestic sources, while Cardiff has the lowest emissions per capita from domestic sources.

“Rural areas such as Powys must look to tackle the existing housing stock, as many homes are not on the gas network or have solid walls which are difficult and expensive to insulate” he added

“It is crucial that the Assembly Government invests now to bring back excellent schemes such as the Powys CO2i domestic energy efficiency and renewable energy project. During the 18 months that this project ran numerous energy savings measures were installed, including for example nearly 2,000 cavity wall insulations, over 2,500 loft insulations, 140 solar hot water panels, 300 hot water tank jackets and over 20,500 low energy light bulbs. This type of project will be key to helping to reduce carbon emissions from the domestic sector.”