Plaid Cymru’s Leanne Wood has called for a greener and cleverer approach to be taken towards the use of forestry land in order to generate sustainable energy.
The AM for South Wales Central said if the thousands of hectares of woodland in our country could be managed with a view to promoting small-scale energy projects, it would promote self-sufficiency and mitigate against the effects of any future energy price shocks.
Earlier this year the Welsh Assembly Government said Wales had the ability to generate more than twice its energy needs from renewable sources within 15 years.
During questions to Rural Affairs Minister Elin Jones in the Senedd, Ms Wood said: “The Welsh Assembly Government is a significant landowner and, as you have just stated, the Forestry Commission presides over a large proportion of Welsh land.
“Do you agree that we need to make optimum use of this land to bring maximum benefit to people in Wales? For example, an area characterised by waterfalls or fast-flowing rivers could be designated as being suitable for small-scale hydroelectric projects.
“Further, land with fir trees on tops of mountains might be unsuitable for growing food but could grow grasses or coppice willow, which could then be used for biofuels.
“Will you consider mapping and designating Welsh Assembly Government land so that it can be put to best use for the people of Wales in a way that will contribute to our targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions?”
The Plaid Cymru Minister replied: “Yes – indeed, I am considering that as we speak. The land that is owned by the Assembly Government and currently managed by the Forestry Commission is a resource to this nation and to this Government, and we need to look at how we can maximise the return to the public purse from that land while also meeting our wider environmental objectives.
“The Forestry Commission is currently undertaking work for me on identifying the additional use of the land.
“I am particularly interested in how that resource could be used for renewable energy purposes, whether that is through the wood fuel itself or, as you have highlighted, the hydroelectric generating potential of the water that runs through the land.
“That work is ongoing, and I hope to be in a position at some point over the next few months to look at how it can progress into hydroelectric schemes, whether they are undertaken directly by Government, by local communities, or as a commercial venture. We are investigating all those possibilities.”
