3. What plans does the Cabinet Secretary have to support the growth of the renewable energy sector in North Wales? OQ60998

The regional economic framework, local and regional energy plans and the north Wales growth deal recognise and support the opportunities for the renewable energy sector across north Wales. As we maintain our collaborative approach, this will ensure that we maximise the economic and community benefits in the region.

Diolch. I was really pleased to visit the new engineering unit at Coleg Llandrillo in Rhyl and meet our RWE-sponsored apprentices with the Cabinet Secretary. North Wales is ideal for wind, wave and solar renewable energy. Together, they can provide an adequate base load. I'm sure that the Minister will agree with me that locally produced renewable energy should also benefit residents through a reduction in their energy bills. That would be fantastic.

Tidal barrages can provide consistent energy as well, and act as a flood defence, which is a huge issue in north Wales. It would be really welcomed by residents who have been worried about flooding during recent high tides and stormy weather. The north Wales railway line was almost covered as well in the recent high tide. Is a north Wales tidal barrage something that the Cabinet Secretary would be interested in pursuing going forward?

First of all, I'd like to thank Carolyn Thomas for the opportunity to visit the college with her. It was genuinely uplifting, wasn't it, talking to those apprentices who were developing skills in sectors that they knew would be there throughout their working life—that it's a sector that would see more and more investment and more and more opportunity for those young people, and in a part of Wales that is very disadvantaged. So, seeing those opportunities on the doorstep, I think, is just really, really important.

On the question of a tidal barrage, Wales is a coastal nation, isn't it, so we need to take full advantage of our natural assets. There have been regular review meetings with the three winners of the tidal lagoon challenge. The reason for that is to make sure that the performance is monitored, that there are milestones that are agreed and met, and that findings from the research process are reported and communicated properly. The purpose of the challenge, as she will know, is to support research that will reduce or remove barriers to tidal lagoon development or research that can help us quantify a potential benefit for a tidal lagoon development. But I share here excitement at the potential that we have in north Wales, as in other parts of Wales, to make this a fundamental part of our economy.

The Welsh Government has set a target of 70 per cent renewable energy by 2030. However, if we want to achieve this, we need to do more. In north Wales we have a rich history of renewable energy, particularly the use of hydroelectricity stations, which can generate 2,100 MW, and that's enough to supply nearly a third of Wales's 1.5 million homes. However, further action is required.

With the clean energy budget slashed by approximately 70 per cent this year, incentivising private investment to projects is essential. Endless bureaucratic barriers and high business rates are hindering farmers who have set up these hydro schemes previously on the promise that those business rate reliefs would be there. As technology has improved, negating the need for large reservoirs or dams, smaller private projects are the next step for hydro in Wales, and the previous Minister for energy actually said that, as far as she was concerned, it needs a mix of different technologies to take us forward.

Recommendation 14 of the deep-dive was clear that support should be given to community schemes and private developers. So, Cabinet Secretary, what steps will you take to ensure that private individuals can pursue local hydroelectric schemes on their own land and be free from this endless restrictive red tape? And maybe some support from the Welsh Government would be apt as well.

I'm not sure I would accept the way the Member characterises the situation. The targets that we have are ambitious. We want to be able to produce the equivalent of our entire electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2035 and, by the same time, we want at least 1.5 GW of renewable energy capacity to be locally owned. We've reset that target to make it more ambitious, given that we were meeting the other previous target ahead of time. I do think there is a need for a mix. I think the Member is right to say that it is a mix. And I'm looking forward to seeing the work that I know Ynni Cymru, which is the product of the joint working that we have with Plaid Cymru as part of our co-operation agreement, will be able to do to support community energy initiatives and to make sure that we have local energy as a fundamental part of the mix in the future. And she mentioned budgetary pressures. Ynni Cymru has a capital budget of £10 million for this financial year, and I'm looking forward to seeing the exciting plans they will have to support growth in this part of the sector.