ENERGY GIANT LEADS WAY IN A MOVE

North Wales has a proud industrial heritage, from the slate quarries and copper mines of the Industrial Revolution to the steel mills, aluminium plants and textile factories of more recent times.

Industry provided work for thousands, but it also left scars on the landscape and damage to the planet which we are counting the cost of today.

Now, though, the region, like the rest of Britain, is making progress towards a cleaner, greener future. As world leaders prepare to gather in Glasgow for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, work is underway here in North Wales to build the infrastructure needed to achieve the UK’s ambitious Net Zero targets.

Each part of Britain has its own challenges to face and opportunities to seize as we move towards our goal of a decarbonised country. In North Wales the rural nature of the geography means that an above average number of homes are off the gas grid. In Anglesey that figure reaches more than half.

Changing the way we heat our homes is one of the biggest challenges the country faces as we move towards Net Zero. The UK Government recently launched its strategy to shift homes away from gas heating and encourage homeowners to install heat pumps by offering a £5,000 grant.

It’s crucial that our electricity infrastructure can deliver power where it is needed if people are to make the change to greener home heating and allow people to switch to driving electric cars. The combined effect of these changes is expected to significantly increase the pressure on the electricity distribution network.

In North Wales responsibility for the network is in the hands of SP Energy Networks, which is part of Scottish Power, the first integrated energy company in the UK to generate 100 per cent green electricity.

With major offshore wind farms in the Irish Sea, North Wales is already a big producer of renewable electricity, and work underway on the network will help the region to become a net exporter of renewable energy.

Liam O’Sullivan, SP Manweb Director, is the man at the head