Energy in Wales

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Wylfa nuclear power station.

Energy in Wales is the production of electricity in Wales.

Electricity production

In 2018, the annual production of electricity in Wales was 30.2 TWh and consumed 14.9 TWh, which means that Wales generates twice as much electricity as it consumes and is a net exporter of electricity to England, Ireland and Europe.[1][2] In the same year, 25% was from renewable sources, up from 22% in 2017. Electricity generation encompasses a broad mix of technologies including Coal (e.g. Aberthaw), Gas (e.g. Baglan Bay), Wind (Cefn Croes), hydro-electricity (Dinorwig), solar thermal/PV and biomass electricity.[citation needed]

Dinorwig Power station (hydro-electric dam).

Fossil fuels

Fossil fuels are not renewables; historically, the economy of Wales has been driven by fossil fuels. The coal industry in Wales had reached large proportions by the end of the eighteenth century, and then further expanded to supply steam-coal for the steam vessels that were beginning to trade around the world. The Cardiff Coal Exchange set the world price for steam-coal and Cardiff became a major coal-exporting port. The South Wales Coalfield was at its peak in 1913 and was one of the largest coalfields in the world.[3] In 2019 the percentage of electricity generated from coal was only 2% of total electricity generated. The last coal-fired power station in Wales was at Aberthaw, which finally closed its doors in March 2020.[4]

The total capacity of electricity generated from fossil fuels was 7.4 GW and came from three sources:

  1. gas power (5.6 GW)[4]
  2. coal (1.6 GW )
  3. diesel (0.2 GW)

Renewable energy

Main article: Renewable energy in Wales
Wind turbine, Carno Wind farm.

In 2018, Wales generated more than 50% of its electricity consumption as renewable electricity, an increase from 19% in 2014. The Welsh Government set a target of 70% by 2030.[5] In 2019, Wales was a net exporter of electricity. It produced 27.9 TWh of electricity while only consuming 14.7 TWh.[6] The natural resource base for renewable energy is high by European standards, with the core sources being wind, wave, and tidal. Wales has a long history of renewable energy: in the 1880s, the first house in Wales with electric lighting powered from its own hydro-electric power station was in Plas Tan y Bwlch, Gwynedd.[citation needed] In 1963, the Ffestiniog Power Station was constructed, providing a large scale generation of hydroelectricity, and in November 1973, the Centre for Alternative Technology was opened in Machynlleth.[citation needed]

Renewable energy targets

See also: Environmental issues in Wales

In 2017, the Welsh Government announced a target of meeting 70% of Wales’ electricity demand from Welsh renewable electricity sources by 2030. By 2018, Wales generated over 3,864 MW renewable energy from 68,728 projects.[1] In 2021, the Welsh government said that more than half the country's energy needs were being met by renewable sources, 2 percent of which was from 363 hydropower projects.[7]

Renewable energy projects

Swansea tidal lagoon

In 2015 a tidal lagoon for Swansea Bay was proposed, to generate electricity. However, in June 2018, the UK Government withdrew support for the plan due to independent study showing it to be not viable.[8][9]

In January 2023, plans of a new Swansea tidal lagoon project called "Blue Eden" emerged but this time fully funded by the private sector. It would include an electric battery manufacturing plant, battery storage facility, a tidal lagoon in Swansea Bay with a floating solar farm, data storage centre, a green hydrogen production facility, an oceanic and climate change research centre. The project could start within 18 months.[10]

Morlais tidal stream

The Morlais tidal stream project, on the west coast of Anglesey, could deliver up to 120 MW of renewable clean energy. £31 million was secured in 2022, for the first phase of construction, from the EU's European Regional Development fund via the Welsh Government.[11] The onshore grid connection works were constructed in 2023, and Mark Drakeford officially opened the onshore substation in October 2023.[12]

References

  1. ^ a b "Energy Generation in Wales 2018" (PDF). Welsh Government. Welsh Government. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  2. ^ "The Battle for Cefn Croes". Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 15 July 2007.
  3. ^ Hughes, Stephen R. (1994). Collieries of Wales: Engineering and Architecture. Aberystwyth: Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-1-871184-11-2.
  4. ^ a b Regen. "Energy Generation in Wales 2019" (PDF). Welsh Government. Welsh Government. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Renewable energy progress in Wales". regen. regen. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  6. ^ Energy Generation in Wales 2019 (PDF). Regen; Welsh Government. Wales is a net exporter of electricity, having consumed approximately 14.7 TWh (1) of electricity in 2019, while generating approximately 27.9 TWh.
  7. ^ Duggan, Craig (2 March 2021). "Climate change: Private hydropower schemes 'on cliff edge'". BBC News. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  8. ^ "The real questions about the UK government's decision to cancel the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon". 6 July 2018.
  9. ^ McIntyre, Fiona (July 3, 2018). "UK water industry 'could fund' £1.3bn Swansea Bay scheme". New Civil Engineer. Retrieved 2018-08-23.
  10. ^ "Green light expected for multi-billion-pound tidal lagoon project". Nation.Cymru. 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  11. ^ "Morlais tidal project on Anglesey gets £31m EU funding". BBC News. 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  12. ^ "Official opening of Wales' first tidal stream energy site on Anglesey". North Wales Chronicle. 2023-10-20. Retrieved 2023-12-01.
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