Politicians have written to the chairman of Bute Energy demanding an urgent meeting.
Craig Williams & Russell George, Welsh Conservative MP & MS for Montgomeryshire, have written to the Chairman of the Bute Energy Group following what they say are several recent incidents of Bute Energy subsidiaries illegally accessing land within Montgomeryshire without consent or legal permission.
In addition to this, the politicians say several landowners have in recent months been issued with threatening notices demanding access to land and properties, in order to carry out surveys for proposed pylon routes.
Craig Williams and Russell George are therefore requesting an urgent meeting with Oliver Millican, the Chairman of the Bute Energy Group, given that Bute and GreenGEN Cymru appear to be acting without the necessary legal or planning permissions in attempting to access land.
Craig Williams MP said: “I am appalled by the bullying tactics and behaviour which has been displayed by Bute Energy and GreenGEN Cymru, in accessing land within Montgomeryshire without permission or any legal basis.
“During a recent meeting with senior Bute Energy officials, Russell and I conveyed our extreme discomfort regarding these tactics - coupled with the aggressive use of Section 172 access notices which have been sent to landowners across Montgomeryshire. We received assurances that such incidents would not reoccur and that the company was committed to addressing the way it engages with landowners and stakeholders.
“This is very clearly not the case, and we have therefore written to Oliver Millican, the Chairman of Bute Energy, to insist on an urgent meeting in protecting Montgomeryshire landowners against illegal access to their land. Given the seriousness of this situation, I will also be raising this matter directly with Ofgem as the license regulator, and with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.”
Russell George MS said: “It is extremely disappointing that Bute Energy and GreenGEN Cymru continue to display threatening and strong-arm tactics towards landowners – particularly given they do not have an Independent Distribution Network Operator license giving them authority to access land. This also goes against previous assurances we were given by Bute officials recently.
“As well as meeting with the Chairman of Bute Energy, Craig and I are also working closely with the Montgomeryshire Against Pylons (MAP) campaign group, who are also seeking urgent legal opinion for landowners who have been affected.”
Bute Energy has been approached for comment.
The letter in full
The letter to Oliver Millican, Chairman of Bute Energy
Dear Mr Millican,
We recently met with your Managing Director, Stuart George and Community Director, Catryn Davies. During our meeting, we conveyed our discomfort with the aggressive way your company is surveying landowners and attempting to access land against their will, especially as you do not have an Independent Distribution Network Operator license (IDNO).
We now find ourselves compelled to write to you directly due to a further incident of illegal access onto land within my constituency yesterday, during which we are informed that one of your subsidiaries – GreenGEN Cymru, accessed land without any permission or warrant.
Such incidents are in addition the aggressive issuance of Section 172 notices to landowners within my constituency, for which a legal or statutory basis appears to be notably absent. GreenGEN Cymru, as I understand, is not yet a licensed IDNO and consequently lacks the statutory powers under the Electricity Act that might justify such actions. Additionally, your company has not secured any form of planning permissions that would sanction these intrusions.
We and our constituents are left to perceive GreenGEN Cymru's intentions as purely speculative, possessing no greater legal right to access land than any other entity. This is particularly troubling given previous assurances we received that Bute Energy was making great strides in improving its engagement practices with communities and stakeholders.
Given these serious circumstances, we are now requesting an urgent meeting with you in your capacity as Chairman and majority shareholder of Bute Energy, to discuss these matters directly and convey the deep concerns of our constituents in person. We would be grateful for such a meeting to take place at your earliest convenience.
We are also copying this letter to Ofgem and to the Secretary of State for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. Given the current Ofgem consultation into GreenGEN Cymru’s application for a IDNO license, their actions should be highlighted as it is clear they regard its granting as a mere formality.
We trust you will treat this request with the urgency and seriousness it warrants.
Yours sincerely,
Rt Hon Craig Williams MP
Russell George MS