Energy firm role likely for council boss

A COUNCIL chief could be appointed to a firm owned by a consortium of local authorities after it was stung with a £5m bill.

- STAFF REPORTER

The body, made up of 10 councils in southeast Wales including those in Gwent, had to pay £5.25m to a company that lost out on a contract to demolish a disused power station after a High Court judge ruled it had been unlawfully awarded to a rival firm.

The 10 councils which make up the Cardiff Capital Region have had to foot the bill, leading to criticism from Senedd members as well as its own scrutiny committee of backbench councillors from across the region.

The councils set up CCR Energy, or Cardiff Capital Region Energy, as a limited company to buy and redevelop the former Aberthaw Power Station as a "green energy park" including a tidal energy scheme, a solar park, onand offshore wind farms, battery storage and a data centre under a £38.6m project.