A Pembrokeshire recycling company is being stopped from expanding and employing 12 extra staff because it can't get enough electricity.
A J Recycling in Boncath already employs 14 people and wants to expand and take on more. But it needs a stronger electricity supply and has been told it would cost £60,000 to install.
Preseli Pembrokeshire AM Paul Davies has now taken up their case with the Welsh Environment Minister.
"It is ridiculous that a successful Pembrokeshire business which is creating jobs in a green industry is being hampered by a lack of power supply," said Mr Davies.
A J Recycling takes orange bags from the north of Pembrokeshire and recycles
cardboard, plastic, paper, metal, tyres and glass, preventing up to 25,000 tonnes a year from reaching landfill.
It also collects old tyres from gara ges, throughout Wales and the border counties, shreds them and then turns them into rubber matting and other products. But to run its powerful shredding and sorting machines it needs three phase electricity – and it's been told it'll cost £60,000 to install.
"We are having to use generators instead and it is highly costly to both the environment and the company to run on a day to day basis" said managing director Andrew Jenkins.
"It also means that when we have a generator break down then we are on total stop because we have no back up. It is making life very difficult, especially as there is so little value in these recycled materials at the moment.
"We're employing 14 people full time and I'd like another 12 people to work for me. I'd like to move the tyre shredding plant and I'd like to make the end product here but at the moment we have to ship it abroad due to the lack of electricity supply on site.
"Not having the power is restricting us tremendously. It's a shame."
Mr Davies has now raised the issue in the Senedd on his behalf. He said: "We should be nurturing every job in Pembrokeshire, especially green ones, and yet this relatively simple problem is stopping a successful company from expanding.
"I shall be writing to the Minister to explain the problem and will be lobbying for help with an issue that affects many rural industries."