Blow the frackers out of Wales with renewable energy

(Letter to the South Wales Evening Post)

Councillor Ioan Richard sees red after Swansea Council approves plans for a wind farm on Mynydd y Gwair (‘Ospreys fans called on to switch region’, 9 February, page 9); and Mike Clarke describes the decision as an “ill-thought through piece of civic vandalism” (‘Turbines are civic vandalism‘, Have Your Say, 12 February).

Disappointed campaigners might take one crumb of comfort from the decision.  The more renewable capacity that is installed in Wales, the less justification there will be for exploiting shale gas and Coal Bed Methane.

In “fighting for the preservation of priceless beautiful landscapes throughout Wales”, the next battle that the Pontardawe Strollers Society and others will face will be to keep the frackers out of their back yards.

Petroleum Exploration and Development Licence (PEDL) 211 covers an area of 10,000 hectares centred on Councillor Richard’s home ground of Mawr, and stretching to the outskirts of Pontardawe.  It has been included in the draft Local Development Plan as Candidate Site MA0011: Exploration and potential development site for coal methane and unconventional gas.

This is just one PEDL area among many across the former South Wales coalfields.

The devastation that wide spread fracking would cause in the valleys will make us wonder why we ever made a fuss about a few windmills on the hills.

But the solution lies in our own hands.  In Wales we have all that we need to become 100% renewable in our energy production, both individually and as a nation.

Do that and we can tell the Westminster backed frackers just where to go with their “pernicious, greed-inspired” plans for “destroying our once green and pleasant land”.

Yours,

Keith M Ross

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