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Posted: Wed 13th Nov 2024
The Welsh Government has unveiled plans to accelerate infrastructure planning decisions, aiming to support its decarbonisation goals, boost renewable energy production, and create green jobs.
Speaking at the Future Energy Wales conference, Economy, Energy and Planning Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Evans outlined key proposals to streamline the planning process.
These include delegating decisions on renewable energy projects up to 50MW to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW), a move anticipated to cut decision times by at least 12 weeks.
To support this, new measures will address the shortage of planners by enhancing capacity at both local and national levels, ensuring the planning system is resilient and well-resourced.
Additionally, the government plans to bolster resources to process Developments of National Significance (DNS) applications more efficiently, further accelerating critical projects.
Since September, five renewable energy projects delivering over 280MW—enough to power 180,000 homes—have been approved.
A further 15 projects are in various stages of review, with inspectors’ reports already submitted for five more.
Rebecca Evans MS emphasised the importance of planning reforms, stating:
“Planning is key to green growth, and accelerating infrastructure decisions is a top priority. These changes will help us deliver the opportunities ahead, ensuring Wales leads the green revolution.”
The delegation of decision-making powers to PEDW on renewable energy projects is expected to significantly speed up the approval process.
When combined with improvements to other parts of the system, the changes will ensure thorough and timely consideration of applications.
The government also plans to launch a consultation later this month to address the skills gap in planning services.
Proposals will focus on increasing the number of professionals with the expertise needed to deliver government policies effectively.
In addition to these reforms, the Welsh Government is working with industry to develop a renewable energy sector deal.
This initiative will aim to remove barriers and create a shared vision for delivering renewable energy projects. Key areas include improving outcomes for supply chains, skills development, and community benefits.
Rebecca Evans concluded:
“The Welsh Government remains steadfast in its commitment to renewable energy. By working together with communities, developers, and stakeholders, we can achieve our clean energy targets, boost the economy, and support sustainable communities by 2030.”
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