Thursday 26 September 2019

Welsh councils win £458k to plug in EV charging points

Welsh councils win £458k to plug in EV charging points

Five local authorities in Wales are to share funding worth more £450,000 to increase the availability of accessible charging points and boost the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country.

Blaenau Gwent, Caerphiilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen will install a total of 73 charging networks across 33 car parks, with 146 individual sockets.

The joint bid was put together by the authorities, aided by the Energy Saving Trust and supported financially by the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales which funded a feasibility study.

Councillor Dai Davies, Blaenau Gwent Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration & Economic Development said: “On behalf of all the councils I welcome this announcement. The funding will help establish an infrastructure across Gwent to provide residents with opportunities to drive electric vehicles in the future.

“The councils and our key partners are committed to helping to preserve the environment by supporting renewable energy and lowering our carbon footprints. There are many residents in Gwent who are passionate about this too, by working with partner organisations we are delighted to be able to give them confidence to use electric vehicles now and for our future generations.”

The funding for the charging points is being provided by the UK Government’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV).

Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Powys and Swansea councils have also applied for funding, with the amounts yet to be confirmed.

Alun Cairns, Secretary of State for Wales added: “The next few decades will be transformative for our transport industry and therefore it is vital that electric vehicle drivers feel confident about the availability of charge points near their homes and along their journeys.

“Greater availability of charge points will also encourage a shift towards greener transport, bringing significant environmental benefits with it. That is why the UK Government committed to delivering this funding for local authorities across Wales and I would encourage more councils to apply in order to create the necessary infrastructure to help us reach our net zero emissions target.

Written by

Bruna Pinhoni

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