Issue - meetings

That the Committee continues to support the actions set out in the Renewable Energy Action Plan and the progress made so far.

The Chief Officer (Planning & Environment) introduced an update on progress with the Renewable Energy 10 year Action Plan which had been developed to maximise the social, environmental and economic opportunities of low carbon and renewable energy generation on Council owned land.  A summary of activities undertaken during the first year of the Action Plan were set out, including an update on the solar PV installations at the Brookhill and Standard landfill sites.  A site visit to the Standard landfill site was to take place following the meeting.

Councillor Kevin Jones highlighted the significant progress on the landfill sites, in particular the substantial savings to be gained from the connection from the Brookhill site to provide electricity to Alltami depot which would also link to the proposed electric vehicle fleet.  He also spoke about opportunities to develop areas of biomass through grant funding and with involvement by colleagues in Agricultural Estates on potential flood alleviation.

Councillor Paul Shotton commended the £2.8m savings expected to be generated over the 20 year cycle and asked whether any other areas had been identified.  The Energy Conservation Engineer said that a list of Brownfield sites provided by the Valuation & Estates section would be analysed in detail to establish their suitability.  In respect of hydro generation at Wepre Park, the scheme design was awaiting completion.

The Chief Officer (Streetscene & Regeneration) referred to the challenges on both landfill projects and thanked the Energy Conservation Engineer and Mr Paul Murphy, the manager of both sites, for their work.

Councillor Hilary McGuill questioned the scope of the public consultation exercise.  The Energy Conservation Engineer explained that a link to the survey had been displayed on the Council’s website and Twitter during the spring.  Councillor Bernie Attridge acknowledged the need to include town and community councils as part of future consultation and said that the survey would be revisited at some point.

Councillor McGuill asked about the potential for solar PV installation at the high-rise flats in Flint and was informed that this was not viable due to the external wall fabrication and that the panels needed to be mounted on an angle to be more effective.  A request for further clarification would be followed up by a separate detailed response.  In response to comments on new housing developments by North East Wales (NEW) Homes, the Chief Officer (Planning and Environment) said that various funding sources would be explored to maximise opportunities for renewable energy.  The list of identified Brownfield sites would be assessed to establish if any were suitable for solar PV installation or future development by NEW Homes.

Councillor Nancy Matthews spoke about the need for a cautious approach to achieve the predicted savings and for consideration of flood risk management on biomass schemes.  In response to a question, it was explained that solar battery storage was being explored at both landfill sites.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee continues to support the actions set out in the Renewable Energy Action Plan and the progress made so far.