Mae Prif Weithredwr RenewableUK, Dan McGrail, wedi dweud wrth Bwyllgor Materion Cymreig Senedd y DU yn Llundain fod gwynt arnofiol yn cynnig manteision diwydiannol, economaidd ac amgylcheddol enfawr i Gymru a gweddill y DU.

Mae Ystad y Goron wedi ymrwymo i alluogi datblygiad 4GW o wynt arnofiol yn y Môr Celtaidd (rhwng Cymru, de-orllewin Lloegr ac Iwerddon) erbyn 2035, gyda’r potensial i ddarparu ar gyfer 20GW pellach erbyn 2045.

Yn yr arwerthiannau pŵer glân eleni ar gyfer Contractau Gwahaniaeth, neilltuodd Gweinidogion y DU £24m ar gyfer gwynt arnofiol am y tro cyntaf, gan alluogi prosiect TwinHub yn y Môr Celtaidd i fynd yn ei flaen. Mae RenewableUK yn annog y Llywodraeth i sicrhau bod yr arwerthiannau blynyddol hyn yn cael eu dylunio mewn ffordd sy’n sicrhau cymaint o gapasiti newydd â phosibl, yn ogystal ag adeiladu ein cadwyn gyflenwi.

Dywedodd Mr McGrail wrth y pwyllgor:

“Mae gwynt arnofiol yn gyfle mawr iawn ar gyfer twf byd-eang ac mae gan y DU safle blaenllaw yn hyn o beth. Gan ein bod wedi cymryd safbwynt symudwr cynnar, gallwn sefydlu ein hunain fel arweinydd byd-eang yn y dechnoleg hon, gan adeiladu diwydiant newydd yma ac allforio technoleg ledled y byd.”

Mae Llywodraeth y DU wedi gosod targed o 5GW o wynt arnofiol erbyn 2030 ac wedi darparu £160 ar gyfer uwchraddio porthladdoedd i alluogi gweithgynhyrchu ar lan y cei ar gyfer gwynt arnofiol. Ychwanegodd Mr McGrail:

“Mae’n wirioneddol hanfodol ein bod ni’n adeiladu’r seilwaith porthladd newydd sydd ei angen arnom, ond mae gennym ni broses eithaf araf wrth adeiladu’r seilwaith hwnnw yn y wlad hon. Mae angen newidiadau sylweddol yn ein seilwaith porthladd er mwyn galluogi gwynt arnofiol, ac mae’r Llywodraeth yn cydnabod bod angen gwneud hynny, felly mae’n rhaid deall y cyllid o £160m fel cam cyntaf.”

Croesawodd hefyd ymrwymiadau Ystad y Goron i alluogi datblygiad gwynt arnofiol yn y Môr Celtaidd, gan ddweud: “Mae gan Ystâd y Goron swyddogaeth bwysig o ran anfon signal hirdymor ar gyfer y dyfodol, gan greu fframwaith ar gyfer sut rydym yn buddsoddi yn y sector. Mae gosod targedau yn wych, ond os byddwch yn adeiladu 4GW mae angen i chi hefyd wybod beth sydd ar ôl a phryd – mae angen map ffordd arnom ar gyfer agor y tu hwnt i 4GW, gan wneud y gorau o gylchoedd prydlesu i gael buddsoddiad cynnar yn y gadwyn gyflenwi.”

Tynnodd sylw at y cyfleoedd i adeiladu ffatrïoedd newydd yng Nghymru a gweddill y DU, a nododd y gallai arwerthiannau pŵer glân ar gyfer Contractau Gwahaniaeth helpu i ysgogi hyn:

“Nid adeiladu diwydiant sy’n seiliedig ar signalau pris yn unig yw’r llwybr mwyaf cynaliadwy. O fewn y fframwaith cystadleuol hwnnw, mae angen inni hefyd roi gwerth ar ddatblygu economaidd, arloesi, cynaliadwyedd, swyddi, amrywiaeth ac effaith gymunedol – a chymryd hynny i ystyriaeth mewn arwerthiannau CfD. Mae’n rhaid i chi ofalu am bris oherwydd mae hynny’n bwysig i ddefnyddwyr ac i gystadleurwydd, ond mae gwerthfawrogi ffactorau eraill yn cael ei ganiatáu hefyd.”

Gorffennodd drwy ddweud bod angen mandad newydd gan y Llywodraeth ar y rheoleiddiwr Ofgem i alluogi adeiladu seilwaith grid newydd ar gyfer prosiectau newydd:

“Ni ddylem danbrisio arwyddocâd yr her o adeiladu’r seilwaith grid sydd ei angen. Mae faint o amser y mae’n ei gymryd a’r cymhlethdod o safbwynt cydsynio yn sylweddol. Ond fy mhwynt fyddai bod Net Zero wedi bod yn y gyfraith ers 2019, ac nid oes gan y rheolydd Ofgem Net Zero yn ei fandad o hyd. Pe bai’n gwneud hynny, byddai’n rhaid dechrau meddwl am hyn mewn ffordd fwy strategol – ac mae angen mynd i’r afael â hynny’n fuan iawn.”

RenewableUK’s Chief Executive Dan McGrail has told the UK Parliament’s Welsh Affairs Committee in London that floating wind offers huge industrial, economic and environmental benefits to Wales and the rest of the UK.

The Crown Estate has committed to enabling the development of 4GW of floating wind in the Celtic Sea (between Wales, south west England and Ireland) by 2035, with the potential to accommodate a further 20GW by 2045.

In this year’s clean power auctions for Contracts for Difference, UK Ministers ringfenced £24m for floating wind for the first time, enabling the TwinHub project in the Celtic Sea to go ahead. RenewableUK is urging the Government to ensure these annual auctions are designed in a way which secures as much new capacity as fast as possible, as well as building up our supply chain.  

Mr McGrail told the committee:

“Floating wind is a very big opportunity for global growth and the UK has a leading position in this. As we’ve taken an early mover position, we can establish ourselves as a global leader in this technology, building a new industry here and exporting out technology worldwide.”

The UK Government has set a target of 5GW of floating wind by 2030 and provided £160 for upgrading ports to enable quayside manufacturing for floating wind. Mr McGrail added:

“It’s really vital that we build the new port infrastructure we need, but we have quite a slow process in building that infrastructure in this country. We need substantial changes in our port infrastructure to enable floating wind, and there is recognition in Government that that needs to be done, so the £160m funding has to be understood as a first step.”

He also welcomed The Crown Estate’s commitments to enabling the development of floating wind in the Celtic Sea, saying: “The Crown Estate has important job in sending a long-term signal for the future, creating the framework of how we invest in the sector. Setting targets is great, but if you build 4GW you also need to know what’s coming after and when – we need a roadmap for opening up beyond 4GW, optimising leasing rounds to get early investment in the supply chain.”

He highlighted the opportunities to build new factories in Wales and the rest of the UK, and noted that clean power auctions for Contracts for Difference could help to stimulate this:

“Building an industry based only on price signals is not the most sustainable pathway. Within that competitive framework, we also need to value economic development, innovation, sustainability, jobs, diversity and community impact – and take that into consideration in CfD auctions. You’ve got to care about price because that matters to consumers and to competitiveness, but valuing other factors is allowed too.”  

He concluded by saying that the regulator Ofgem needs a new mandate from the Government to enable new grid infrastructure to be built to accommodate new projects:

“We should not underestimate the significance of the challenge of building the grid infrastructure that’s needed. The amount of time that it takes and the complexity from a consenting point of view is significant. But my point would be that Net Zero has been in law since 2019, and the regulator Ofgem still does not have Net Zero in its mandate. If it did, it would be obliged to start thinking about this in a more strategic way – and that needs to be addressed very soon.”