Green energy company 'should be stripped of its licence to operate'
Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire, has called for a renewable energy firm set to run pylons across North Shropshire to be stripped of its licence to operate.
Helen said Green GEN Cymru's Independent Distribution Network Operator (IDNO) licence should be revoked, citing a pattern of behaviour that she says demonstrates the company is no longer a ‘fit and proper’ licence holder.
Helen has written to energy regulator OFGEM and the intervention follows a string of reports of surveyors for the company carrying out work on private land without giving notice.
The letter has been co-signed by neighbouring Wales MP David Chadwick, who said the company had shown a “shocking disregard” for the rights of local people.
Last month, Shropshire Council was also made aware that the firm had installed traffic counting equipment without seeking the appropriate licenses at several sites in the north of the county.
Green Gen Cymru intends to run 50km of power lines from renewable energy parks in Wales, across the border into a new substation at Lower Frankton.
But the company has received criticism for its lack of engagement with the public and a recent High Court ruling upheld complaints that the firm was sending surveyors on to people’s land without proper notice.
The judgment also criticised the company's approach to biosecurity concerns on farms and found that developers must properly consider landowners' circumstances before exercising survey access powers.
Helen Morgan, MP for North Shropshire, said: “The recent High Court judgment raised serious questions about the way Green GEN Cymru has conducted itself when dealing with landowners and rural communities.
“I was deeply concerned to learn that, despite those findings, local residents continue to report behaviour which appears to show a disregard for proper process, communication and the concerns of farming families.
“North Shropshire's farmers are already facing significant challenges. The last thing they need is uncertainty about who may be entering their land, particularly when biosecurity remains such an important issue.
“That is why I have written to OFGEM urging it to consider whether Green GEN Cymru remains a fit and proper organisation to hold an IDNO licence.”
Helen has repeatedly raised concerns about Green GEN Cymru's Vyrnwy-Frankton infrastructure proposal, which would link solar and wind farms in Mid Wales to a proposed new substation and switching station near Lower Frankton.
David Chadwick, MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, also shares concerns and said: “The behaviour of Green Gen Cymru has shown a shocking disregard for the rights of local people.
“After being criticised by the High Court for the way it accessed private land, you would expect the company to change its ways. Instead, we continue to see reports of unannounced visits to homes and farms and infrastructure being installed without the necessary permissions.
“We believe this demonstrates a pattern of behaviour that is completely unacceptable for a company entrusted with an Ofgem licence. The High Court's criticism, coupled with further reports of unacceptable conduct, raises serious questions about whether Green Gen Cymru remains a fit and proper company to hold an IDNO licence. We are calling on Ofgem to take these concerns seriously and revoke Green Gen Cymru's licence.”
Earlier this year, Helen criticised what she described as inadequate consultation over changes to the scheme after residents reported that revisions to pylon locations and plans for the switching station had not been properly communicated.
Local residents, farmers and businesses have raised concerns about the visual impact of the development, the effect on agricultural land, biosecurity risks, and the impact of construction traffic on narrow rural roads.
Helen has consistently argued that Lower Frankton is not an appropriate location for a major switching station and has called for affected communities to be fully consulted throughout the planning process.