Teifi pylons concerns raised in Westminster

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00:00Like other colleagues, I wish to voice and relay some of the concerns of many of my constituents

00:05across Ceredigion about the proposed new pylon line, which my hon. Friend the Member for

00:09Clwyddyn Neath referred to in his remarks.

00:13I do so by wanting to emphasise that the communities raising these concerns are communities that

00:19are not blind to the effort and the urgent need to address climate change and the efforts

00:24to decarbonise our economy.

00:25Indeed, the Welsh Government's Energy Generation in Wales report for 2022, which was published

00:31last October, details the equivalent percentage of local electricity consumption met by local

00:37renewable electricity generation for each county in Wales.

00:40For Ceredigion, 118% of our local electricity consumption in 2022 was met by local renewable

00:47electricity generation.

00:48So, Mrs Latham, the communities voicing concerns about the impact of new pylon infrastructure

00:53on the environment, on the potential devaluation of their properties, are not doing so from

00:59a point of ignorance or denying the urgent need to contribute to our decarbonisation

01:05efforts.

01:06Indeed, these are communities along Ceredigion's coastline and interior valleys who have long

01:11made a contribution to these decarbonisation efforts.

01:13They are making a contribution to decarbonisation efforts and, indeed, they shall continue to

01:18make a contribution to our decarbonisation efforts to the future.

01:22However, what is at heart here is this idea of a just transition, of balancing the concerns

01:27of communities with the need for new infrastructure.

01:31Although definitions of just transition differ, my understanding of the concept is that it

01:36should seek to bring about fairer outcomes from the transition to net zero by maximising

01:42the benefits of climate action and minimising the negative impacts for communities.

01:47We have heard already, Mrs Latham, in this debate, a failure to ensure this just transition

01:51exacerbates inequalities, affects support for action to address climate change and biodiversity

01:56loss and leads to legal challenges and, ultimately, can impact policy implementation.

02:03This is a difficult balance to strike, or at least it was in the past.

02:06However, I am very pleased to mention to the Minister that a solution has been found that

02:09can make things a lot easier.

02:11My hon.

02:12Friend the Member for Carmarthen East and Dunedin mentioned a new technique called cable

02:15ploughing.

02:16We all agree that the national grid needs upgrading, it needs strengthening, and with

02:21urgency.

02:22However, it is disappointing that the Government has thus far failed to truly consider the

02:26benefits and advantages of cable ploughing by an innovative company that is based in

02:32my hon.

02:33Friend's constituency in Pencarder, further down the Tyvee valley from some of the communities

02:37that are impacted by this pylon line, which has been innovative in using spider ploughing

02:43machines to really advance the way in which cable ploughing techniques can install these

02:49transmission cables, and to do so by drastically reducing the cost and time taken to complete

02:55the infrastructure upgrade.

02:57I know that in the past the Government has argued that undergrounding is too expensive,

03:02but this new technique shows that it can do so much quicker, at much less cost, and also

03:08reduce the impact on the local environment.

03:11It is worth emphasising the comparison between this cable ploughing technique and the erection

03:16of pylons.

03:18One pylon company mentioned that it might take the best part of four months to install

03:25and equip a single pylon tower.

03:28Compare that to the fact that ATP, which is the company in my hon.

03:31Friend's constituency, when working on the Sea Green project, averaged 1.45km of cable

03:38installation per day, and that means opening, installing and closing it just by using one

03:43cable ploughing machine, to minimal environmental impact, such that the land was returned to

03:48the owner the following day.

03:51Cable ploughing could be a means of balancing the need for new electricity infrastructure

03:56with the importance of minimising not only financial costs but also unnecessary environmental

04:04impact and community opposition.

04:06The UK Government has repeatedly been asked to commission an up-to-date study to take

04:10into account these new techniques and the comparison of the costs with traditional pylon

04:14infrastructure.

04:15My ask to the Minister today is very simple.

04:18Could he please agree to do so?

04:20I come from the debate where I accept climate change realities, I accept the need to increase

04:25energy security, I accept the need to improve electricity distribution in our communities,

04:32especially in rural areas, and I accept the findings of the Windsor report that we are

04:35going to need a whole lot of new infrastructure to meet those challenges.

04:40I am not coming from a position of political denial.

04:44However, I am facing huge upheaval in my constituency.

04:48The reason for that is that there are now four proposed distribution and transmission

04:54routes being proposed for Carmarthenshire.

04:57In Roman times, all roads led to Rome.

05:02In west Wales, all pylons lead to Llandyfailog, and the new national-grade infrastructure

05:07that has been built in that part of the world, in the southern part of my constituency, will

05:12be joined by the new Llanelli constituency following boundary review.

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