If Plaid Cymru were to win the election to the Senedd in May, they would establish a “strong presumption in favour of undergrounding” and the use of wooden poles where necessary, as Wales transitions to a modern, green energy system, banning steel pylons for any line of 132kv or below.
The party also notes that one of the first priorities of a Plaid Cymru government would be to draw up a National Energy Strategy and to ‘keep energy and profits created in Wales in our communities’.
In addition to that, a Plaid Cymru government would:
- Ensure that applications that will have a cumulative impact (including the associated infrastructure) across all Developments of National Significance (DAC) for large onshore wind farms are managed and fully considered.
- Require a minimum share of local or community ownership of between 15 and 25%, which corresponds to the local benefit model, sovereign wealth payment, or an equivalent method of obtaining benefits for the community for all projects over 10 MW, as one of the key conditions of permission.
- Giving incentives or other financial support to develop energy led and owned by the community or the Welsh Government.
- Extending permitted development to give households, farms and businesses more flexibility to install small wind turbines, small solar panels on roofs and on the ground, batteries and heat pumps, while at the same time protecting amenities, heritage and safety.
- Amend the relevant regulations so that all new dwellings and major refurbishment developments install solar on the roof which will meet the property’s annual demand for energy unless it can be clearly demonstrated that this is not practical.
- Issue an immediate Ministerial Interim Planning Policy Statement establishing a clear presumption in favour of undergrounding 11-132 kV lines in Wales, with overhead alternatives permitted only where overhead installation is via low wooden poles or equivalent, less intrusive infrastructure. In the case of 11-132 kV lines, larger steel lattice pylons will not be permitted.
Cefin Campbell, the candidate at the top of Plaid Cymru’s list in Sir Gaerfyrddin for next year’s Senedd election, said:
“I am very proud that Plaid Cymru is at the forefront of supporting our communities and working to keep energy and profits created in Wales in our communities so that we move away from an extractive economy model which has been so damaging to Wales over the centuries’.
“Our position will be clear if we have the privilege of being elected in May that we will not allow pylons to be erected along our valleys to please capitalist companies, and any energy project must take place with the joint idea of communities and ideally under local ownership or Welsh Government ownership.”
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The debate over pylons feels part of a larger conversation about how we balance infrastructure needs with environmental preservation. If Plaid Cymru can turn this into a broader conversation about sustainable energy,they could really set themselves apart in the upcoming election.
I heard him speak to an annoyed audience in Llandovery. He didn,t pacify them at all. He is siding with labour due to the common enemy. That,s sad in itself. They have signed up for energy via Wind Turbines with Bute Energy. 14 sites around our beautiful hillsides in Wales…not England. The power isn,t for locals. And the turbines are twice the size of Big Ben . There will bec250 of these turbines around Welsh hillsides. It,s a catastrophe.
What about the 250 metre wind turbines. Don,t let them fool you….
pylons and Turbines go together.
Dave Howells read between the lines