A North Wales Pipeline?

Despite objections from Anglesey town councillors concerned with the risk of terrorism and the impact on a local housing estate, the Isle of Anglesey county council today approved American multinational Canatxx's application to build a giant LNG terminal just offshore of the tiny town.

But Canatxx's application to build this giant floating bomb is only part of the story. Their overall plan is to pipe the gas to a strategic storage depot in the North-West of England. Needless to say, the massive size of this depot is only matched by the huge amount of controversy it has generated. 10,000 objections forced Canatxx's application to a public enquiry, the outcome of which is yet to be decided.

And then there is the small matter of the bit in between: the pipeline. In South Wales, the LNG terminals were common knowledge. What was less well known was that a massive, hugely destructive pipeline would be required to transport the regassified LNG to it's final destination in the English midlands, and possibly beyond.

When the UK government says there is a "National Need" for these projects, you can be sure it's not the Welsh nation they have in mind.

In the case of the Canatxx LNG Terminal, the publicly stated plan is to pipe this gas sub-sea to Fleetwood, in Lancashire. But a source within Plaid Cymru has stated that this plan has now changed: it will now run overland across North Wales into England. It's exact route at this point is unknown.

But one thing you can be sure of. The UK government and it's cronies in Wales will do everything in their power to ensure it happens. The safety of local people, or the beautiful landscape will not figure into the equation. And under new plans being cooked up in the bowels of Whitehall a new unnacountable Quango will be created to force through this massive new project, and others like it: the Independent Infrastructure Planning Commission.

There will be no Welsh representation on it.

Some Plaid AMs are already condeming the move, saying that puts us in a worse situation than Tryweryn, some 40 years ago. You have to ask the question: what are we paying for in Cardiff if the Assembly has no power to stop these things happening?

Governor General Peter Hain has thrown his support behind the plan though, which just goes to show that he is a man with two jobs and one plan: to turn Wales into an energy colony.