SMALL HYDRO OPERATORS HAVE accused the Welsh government of abandoning the sector and its own climate change commitments after ministers scrapped a vital grant at the end of last year. According to the British Hydropower Association (BHA), they also failed to listen to businesses across rural Wales affected by punitive business rates. Welsh hydro owners are said to feel angry about not being able to contribute to any meaningful discussions about the decision, plus government failure to introduce a long-term viable solution which will protect the renewable industry and rural jobs. The Welsh government announced it would ditch business rates grants for hydropower schemes in local ownership from 1 April 2021; only supporting community-run hydro projects in Wales. On 18 November 2020, Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths, said: "We will consider options for longer term support to the hydropower sector when the next revaluation of non-domestic rates takes place in 2023."
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