Plaid promises Welsh communities share of renewable energy profits

Renewable energy projects will need to offer local communities part of their profits if they are to be approved by a Plaid Cymru-led Welsh government, the party has said.

Rhun ap Iorwerth will tell a speech in Bethesda, Gwynedd, that the Welsh public "can and must benefit fully" from wind and solar schemes.

His party says a Plaid government would require a minimum communities-ownership stake of between 15 and 25% for all energy schemes bigger than 10 megawatts (MW).

Opinion polls have suggested Plaid Cymru is vying for first place with Nigel Farage's Reform UK ahead of the Senedd election on 7 May.

Plaid leader Rhun ap Iorwerth will tell an event hosted by energy non-profit organisation Community Energy Wales that his party would set up a national energy body for Wales that would be responsible for large-scale projects.

Small to medium sized energy projects in Wales, between 10MW and 350MW, need permission from the Welsh government before they go ahead.

Larger schemes are determined by the UK government, while smaller are dealt with locally.

The politician will say that Plaid supports "renewable energy unequivocally just as we believe that the wellbeing of communities has to be at the heart of the Welsh government's energy strategy".

Ap Iorwerth is expected to say: "Done right, the green energy transition comes with major social and economic opportunities. I am clear that Welsh communities can and must benefit fully from Welsh renewables, and that includes a fair share of the profits.

"Ultimately, we think that increasing communities' share in the ownership of Welsh renewables is the best way of securing a higher level of reinvestment in those communities in the longer term."

Plaid Cymru's announcement did not say how communities stakes will work, or which bodies would benefit.

A Reform UK Wales spokesperson said: "Plaid's net zero dogma would lead to higher bills and tighter household budgets across Wales, and where they stand on nuclear, we still don't know."

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said: "Plaid claim their support for renewables is 'unequivocal', but this is a party that has repeatedly opposed the green energy infrastructure Wales needs."

The Welsh Conservatives said Plaid "simply cannot be trusted on energy - their Net Zero plans mean higher bills for families and more costs for motorists who are already being squeezed".