Wales announces plans for 100 per cent renewable electricity sources by 2035

Welsh climate change minister, Julie James, has published a consultation on targets for Wales for meet 100 per cent of electricity needs with renewable sources by 2035.

Wales already generates 55 per cent of its electricity with renewable sources.

The minister also announced a target for at least 1.5 GigaWatt of renewable energy capacity to be locally owned by 2035, excluding heat pumps.

There is also a target for 5.5 GigaWatt of renewable energy capacity to be produced by heat pumps by 2035 but this relies on scaled up support from the UK Government and reductions in the cost of technology.

James said: "Our previous targets signalled our high ambitions for renewable energy and this Government’s desire to move away from a use of, and reliance on, fossil fuels.

"However, the climate crisis shows that we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. Providing new targets compels us to stride towards Net Zero as quickly as we realistically can.

"The evidence is clear that towards the end of this decade we will need to rapidly ramp up our generation of electricity to meet our energy needs.

"The renewable energy target proposals that we are consulting on today are ambitious, but credible.

"I am very pleased that they propose a pathway for us to meet the equivalent of 100% of our annual electricity consumption from renewable electricity by 2035, and to continue to keep pace with consumption thereafter."

£1 million of funding has been announced to explore the potential of offshore wind. This funding will be matched by Associated British Ports for preparatory work to enable future floating offshore wind projects to deploy from Wales.

Andrew Harston, regional director, Wales & Short Sea Ports added: "Associated British Ports warmly welcomes this early-stage support from Welsh Government to help kick start the development of a major green energy hub at Port Talbot. This support is key to the construction of transformational infrastructure, which will enable the manufacturing, integration and assembly of floating offshore wind components at Port Talbot.

"The roll-out of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity for South Wales to lead a global market and will play a major role in contributing to Wales and the UK’s net zero targets. By doing so it will support and create thousands of long-term, high-quality jobs.

"As the gateway to the Celtic Sea, and with unique capabilities and natural advantages, this support will help position Port Talbot at the heart of these emerging green technologies and industrial decarbonisation."

Image by Oimheidi from Pixabay