00:00And it's that leadership we see from those children that we need to see across the whole of our communities.
00:05And all our questions are for James Evans.
00:07Will the First Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government's renewable energy policy?
00:13The war in Ukraine made our energy prices shoot up, and they're still incredibly high, causing a huge amount of suffering across Wales.
00:21Now, to avoid this from being our fate in future, it's essential for us to improve our energy security and reduce our dependence on imported energy.
00:33Now, with our abundance of natural resources, we're in an ideal position in Wales to ramp up our renewable energy contribution,
00:40at the same time address the climate change challenges.
00:44So our policy is to scale up renewable energy projects in Wales, including both offshore and onshore,
00:52creating valuable jobs and bringing investment to our communities.
00:56First Minister, you mentioned there about onshore wind developments, and communities across mid-Wales feel utterly ignored,
01:03as our beautiful countryside is being targeted by speculative and often opaque wind farm developers,
01:09many of them, driven by profit, are not any genuine commitment to sustainability or community development.
01:16These massive projects threaten up jobs, tourism, and the very character of the landscape across mid-Wales.
01:24They do not support environmental benefits or sustainability,
01:27because if you actually take into the consideration the transport costs, the impact of construction,
01:33and the wider grid infrastructure connections,
01:35they're actually not as environmentally friendly as wind farms let on that they are.
01:39So it's clear, isn't it, First Minister, that these onshore developments are going to damage rural Wales.
01:45So isn't it right now that the Welsh Government puts a line under this and bans onshore wind development across Wales
01:51in the interests of all those communities who are going to be affected by these proposals?
01:57Well, thanks very much.
01:59So let me just make it clear that our Labour Government thinks that climate change is real,
02:06and it's a serious issue that needs to be addressed.
02:10And what we need to do is to make sure that we play our part in addressing that climate issue.
02:16Now, what we also know is that by 2050, we expect to see a three-fold increase in the amount of electricity used in Wales.
02:25How do you propose that we can fix that unless we have continued dependence on people from other countries?
02:35You've seen the prices that people are paying today in Wales as a result of our over-dependence on imported energy.
02:46Can I just finish?
02:48Job creation is key in this sector.
02:51And on the weekend, we heard that 15,000 jobs are going to be created as a result of renewable energy.
03:00That is not something I'm going to apologise for.
03:02It is something I'm going to triumph.
03:04It is something that I'm going to be proud of.
03:07And I'm going to make sure that the people in Powys have the opportunities to get involved in developing those wind farms,
03:14in making sure they have the green skills available to them, and to make sure that we deliver for the people of Wales.
03:22Because in future, the people of Powys will also need to make a contribution,
03:28as the people of the valleys have done for over a century when the coal was there.
03:34Thank you, First Minister.
03:37So the next item will be the business statement and announcement, and I call on the Trevny.
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