Issue - meetings

Elgan Roberts, Energy Project Manager to present the report.

1.       That the Board approve the Outline Business Case for the Smart Local Energy project subject to Welsh and UK Governments’ approval of the assurance process undertaken, and the Portfolio Management Office addressing the matters set out in the report, as set out in Section 7 request that a Full Business Case is prepared for the Board to consider following the completion of the procurement process and the consenting process.

2.       That the Board delegate to the Portfolio Director, in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair, final approval of the procurement specification and social value criteria prior to commencing procurement.

3.       That the Board note that the final funding arrangements for the project will be agreed at the Full Business Case stage and authorise the Portfolio Director in consultation with the Host Authority Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer to agree draft terms for approval by the Board.

Councillor Llinos Medi Huws (Anglesey County Council) said a few words at the beginning.  She noted:-

·         That this exciting project was a part of an original application by the Board, and that it was good to report that the plan had matured significantly over the past year, and that we had brought many of our stakeholders with us on the journey.

·         That this was a project to support the full region, where there were gaps in funding, supporting smart energy in the community and possibly more ambitious schemes as well.

·         That it was hoped that those members who were not on the Energy Programme Board could see that there was a vision here, that there was buy-in from many partners, and also that there was an opportunity here to make a difference on the community level and on the regional level.

·         That it was accepted that there were some risks involved with the project, but in order to set an ambition, there must also be some risk.

Henry Aron (Energy Programme Manager) then provided details on the context and history of the project, providing an outline of the assurance process, and Elgan Roberts (Energy Project Manager) presented further details about the project.

RESOLVED

1.              That the Board approve the Outline Business Case for the Smart Local Energy project subject to Welsh and UK Governments’ approval of the assurance process undertaken, and the Portfolio Management Office addressing the matters set out in the report, as set out in Section 7 request that a Full Business Case is prepared for the Board to consider following the completion of the procurement process and the consenting process.

2.              That the Board delegate to the Portfolio Director, in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair, final approval of the procurement specification and social value criteria prior to commencing procurement.

3.              That the Board note that the final funding arrangements for the project will be agreed at the Full Business Case stage and authorise the Portfolio Director in consultation with the Host Authority Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer to agree draft terms for approval by the Board.

REASONS FOR THE DECISION

To seek the Board's approval of the Outline Business Case (OBC) for the Smart Local Energy project.

DISCUSSION

The Chair thanked the Team for the incredibly detailed background work, and noted that this was a very exciting project that would directly touch our communities across north Wales as well as be visible to our residents.

It was asked why the report referred to the creation of 156-193 new jobs in north Wales linked to the delivery and implementation of clean energy solutions, as we had previously stated our desire to create 2,400 new jobs through this process.  In response, it was explained:-

·         That the jobs in the Outline Business Case were based on what had been modelled in the Programme business case, so those targets had been carried forward and included direct and indirect jobs in the supply chain.

·         That the economic modelling for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7