A UK minister has disagreed with Welsh MPs who put it to him that Wales's electricity grid infrastructure was not fit for purpose. Greg Hands, Minister of State for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change, said he felt the grid was working well in Wales "within the constraints of the system".
But he said it would need a lot of investment to accommodate an anticipated doubling of demand by 2050 as more and more of the UK's transport and heating sectors were electrified. Mr Hands also said he did not foresee any gas supply issues this winter, and added that "all the pieces were aligning in a better place than before" for a new nuclear power station at Wylfa, Anglesey.
The minister was addressing the cross-party Welsh Affairs Committee, which is investigating grid capacity in Wales. He was told that some proposed renewable energy projects could not get a connection to the grid in Wales to get the electricity into homes and businesses. You can get more environment news and other story updates by subscribing to our newsletters here.
