Last week in Parliament there were a number of interesting developments and a lot of changes in Westminster. I wish the Prime Minister and his new Cabinet well, but while all this was going on, I continued to do what I do best, working hard to be the voice of Truro and Falmouth to the Government, by ensuring you are represented in matters that will bring investment and positive economic impact to our area.
One of the areas that readers will know I am passionate
about is the potential for renewable energy in Truro and Falmouth, both as a
base for actual renewable energy installations, which have never been so
important in our current climate and economic demands, but also for Falmouth in
particular as the potential manufacturer for floating offshore wind apparatus.
Over the past week I have worked in a number of areas to
progress these issues.
I sit on the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC), a cross
party group of MPs whose remit is to consider the extent to which the policies
and programmes of government departments and non-departmental public bodies
contribute to environmental protection and sustainable development, and to
audit their performance against sustainable development and environmental
protection targets.
On Wednesday the EAC held an evidence session titled ‘How
can we get more net zero energy projects connected to the grid?’ Along with my
Parliamentary colleagues I was about to question the Electricity System
Operator, Ofgem and power operators on plans to make the electricity grid ready
for Net Zero Britain and the challenges they may face in doing so.
The session focused on the barriers in the roll-out of
greater grid infrastructure, how resilient the grid is and how it needs to
adapt to maintain resilience in the future. It will examine planning
constraints and the future role of localised power generation, such as through
community energy projects.
It was fascinating session, which you can watch on the
Parliamentary website. The challenge in Cornwall is to increase the overall
capacity of the grid itself, and doing so using renewable energy is the natural
and best way forward.
On Thursday there was a Westminster Hall debate on floating
offshore wind. Developing this type of renewable energy has to be done in a
considered way with long-term planning at its heart. This means consultation
with existing industries, marine and fishing, so that the future directions of
the impacted ports are clear.
It is also vital that we ramp up our support for this
industry to signal to the private sector that the Government is serious about
FLOW. The external investment into these projects is what will make it
worthwhile for communities like Truro & Falmouth.
We also need to move away from a competition culture between
the South West and devolved Government in Wales. FLOW benefits will only be
worthwhile if we can develop a network of clusters across the entire region and
can only be effective at bringing in outside investment with a long-term clear
direction for future expansion.
Following the debate I went on to have a meeting with the
responsible Minister to make these points and continue the press Falmouth as
the ideal location for the manufacture of future FLOW devices.
Finally on my renewable energy list for last week was an
informal consultation I am planning to write to local residents about proposed
plans to build a new solar farm near Mitchell.
As part of this work I will be inviting residents both in
the affected area, but also more widely to complete my short survey on the role
solar farms can play in your community, and to let me know what you think of
proposals like the one currently on the
table, and of the future of green energy in your community.
You can fill out the survey on my website via the link
below:
https://www.cherilynmackrory.org.uk/form/solar-farm-survey
If you would like a paper copy of this survey, please get in
touch and I will be very happy to provide one.
Renewable energy is an exciting and growing field, and I
will continue to do all I can, both in Westminster and here in Cornwall, to
ensure options around it are fully explored and that our communities will be
able to benefit from it both now and in the future.
As always, I am fully focused on the job at hand and if
there is ever anything at all I can do to help, then please do not hesitate to
contact me. Please get in touch with me by email at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk, or by telephone on 01872 229698. My regular
constituency advice surgeries are held in a covid-safe environment at my
office, so please do get in touch should you wish to meet me about any matters
that I can be of assistance with.
No comments:
Post a Comment