Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, has expressed concern about the impact on communities from energy developments in Denbighshire.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Rowlands, Shadow Minister for Local Government asked the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, Lesley Griffiths what discussions has she had with Cabinet colleagues about the impact of energy infrastructure development on communities in his region.
He said:
I want to speak in particular about the community of Cefn Meiriadog in Denbighshire, which is a largely rural community but there are a number of significant energy infrastructure pieces of work taking place there, which is going to drastically change that rural community.
It already has a substation. There is also a substation associated with Gwynt y Môr offshore windfarm at the same site as well.
I understand that the Awel y Môr offshore windfarm project will trigger an extension to existing substation sites, and an additional 31-acre site will also be required to host a substation for the planned Mona windfarm.
The MaresConnect project is also likely to have a connection at the substation there as well, and I also understand that there are proposals for an 80-acre solar farm within that very small rural community. So, you can understand there are five or six large projects there in one very small area.
I appreciate that many of these perhaps sit with National Grid plc at a reserved level, but I wonder, from a planning point of view, with your North Wales hat on, working with colleagues on the Cabinet, how the consideration of all these projects' cumulative impact on some of these rural communities is considered, as a Cabinet, and what your thoughts are about how we minimise that impact on those rural communities.
The Minister said that the impact of energy infrastructure has been discussed at Cabinet and the North Wales Cabinet sub-committee, adding that it was important for communities to be included in discussions around energy infrastructure projects.
Mr Rowlands added:
I still remain concerned that so many projects appear to be happening in this small rural community and I just hope Welsh Government take on board the impact this might cause for local people.
Sam Rowlands AS yn poeni am effaith datblygiadau ynni ar gymunedau yng Ngogledd Cymru
Mae Sam Rowlands, Aelod o’r Senedd dros Ogledd Cymru, wedi mynegi pryder am effaith datblygiadau ynni yn Sir Ddinbych ar gymunedau.
Wrth siarad yn y Senedd, gofynnodd Mr Rowlands, Gweinidog Llywodraeth Leol yr Wrthblaid i'r Gweinidog Materion Gwledig a Gogledd Cymru, Lesley Griffiths pa drafodaethau y mae hi wedi'u cael gyda chydweithwyr yn y Cabinet am effaith datblygu seilwaith ynni ar gymunedau yn ei ranbarth.
Dywedodd:
Dwi am siarad yn benodol am gymuned Cefn Meiriadog yn Sir Ddinbych, sy'n gymuned wledig i raddau helaeth ond mae sawl gwaith ar y seilwaith ynni yn digwydd yno, sy'n mynd i newid y gymuned wledig honno'n sylweddol.
Mae yno is-orsaf yn barod. Mae yna hefyd is-orsaf yn gysylltiedig â fferm wynt alltraeth Gwynt y Môr ar yr un safle.
Dwi’n deall y bydd prosiect fferm wynt ar y môr Awel y Môr yn sbarduno estyniad i safleoedd is-orsafoedd presennol, a bydd angen safle 31 erw ychwanegol hefyd i gynnal is-orsaf ar gyfer fferm wynt arfaethedig Mona.
Mae prosiect MaresConnect hefyd yn debygol o fod â chysylltiad yn yr is-orsaf yna hefyd, a dwi’n deall hefyd fod cynigion ar gyfer fferm solar 80 erw o fewn y gymuned wledig fach iawn honno. Felly, gallwch ddeall bod pump neu chwech o brosiectau mawr yno mewn un ardal fach iawn.
Dwi’n gwerthfawrogi efallai fod llawer o'r rhain yn nwylo’r National Grid plc ar lefel neilltuol, ond tybed, o safbwynt cynllunio, gan wisgo’ch het Gogledd Cymru, a chan weithio gyda chydweithwyr ar y Cabinet, sut y mae effaith gronnol yr holl brosiectau hyn ar rai o'r cymunedau gwledig hyn yn cael ei hystyried, gennych fel Cabinet, a beth yw eich barn ar sut rydym yn lleihau'r effaith honno ar y cymunedau gwledig hynny.
Dywedodd y Gweinidog fod effaith y seilwaith ynni wedi cael ei drafod yn y Cabinet a gydag is-bwyllgor Cabinet Gogledd Cymru, gan ychwanegu ei bod yn bwysig i gymunedau gael eu cynnwys mewn trafodaethau ynghylch prosiectau seilwaith ynni.
Ychwanegodd Mr Rowlands:
Dwi’n dal i boeni bod cynifer o brosiectau yn ymddangos fel pe baen nhw’n digwydd yn y gymuned wledig fach hon a dwi’n gobeithio y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn ystyried yr effaith y gallai hyn ei chael ar bobl leol.
