While the United Kingdom’s wind power plans have received occasional gusts of publicity ill-wind recently, the bottom line is that the Government is still very much in support of renewable energy developments. A case in point is the recent approval by the energy minister, Charles Hendry, to Vattenfall’s Pen Y Cymoedd proposals which when built will be the largest wind farm in England & Wales.
A whopping 76 turbines will grace the landscape and be a showcase for Welsh wind power. It is estimated that capital expenditure required to construct the wind farm will be around £300 million, and it is expected that it will create/retain 3oo jobs in Wales. It should take three years to construct and then be in operation for 25 years, pumping up to £1bn into Wales’ economy. “How green was my valley?” I hear you ask… well the project represents a boost to Wales’ green energy ambitions; once operational Pen y Cymoedd would increase Welsh renewable electricity generation by over a third.
There has been local opposition as the wind farm is located on publicly owned land managed by Forestry Commission Wales in the south of the country. However Vattenfall has committed £3million to enable plans to be put in place that could see the area becoming a leader in the field of habitat restoration. This will include recreating large areas of important heath and bog peatland habitats, promoting the development of native woodland in line with the Woodlands for Wales Strategy.
It will also boost local wildlife including the promotion of new feeding habitats for Honey Buzzard – a key national species and facilitate the management and opening of habitats for wildlife and recreational use. The Forestry Commission Wales is also working with Vattenfall to ensure that potential tree loss is minimised through “compensatory planting ” that involves the planting of new trees at suitable locations throughout Wales.
Piers Guy, Vattenfall’s Head of Onshore Wind Development in the UK, (picture above) said:
“We are delighted that Vattenfall’s Welsh flagship project has been consented. Pen y Cymoedd is a major project that could be worth more than £1bn to Wales. We have consistently stated our commitment to making sure that we maximise the value of Pen y Cymoedd to
Vattenfall is a leading European energy company and is Europe’s sixth largest generator of electricity and the continent’s largest producer of heat. Vattenfall currently operates 545MW of onshore wind capacity and 836MW of offshore wind across northern Europe, including the UK’s Thanet Offshore Wind Farm, until recently the world’s largest operating offshore wind farm.
The Swedish firm Vattenfall integrated with Nuon Renewables earlier this year, and is now one of the UK’s leading wind farm developers.
Charles Hendry
“Onshore wind plays an important role in enhancing our energy security,” said Minister Hendry. “It is the cheapest form of renewable energy and reduces our reliance on foreign fuel. This project in South Wales will generate vast amounts of home-grown renewable electricity and provide a significant benefits package for the local community.”
Interestingly, neither of the affected local authorities objected to the wind farm, while concerns about the impact on local mining activity have been addressed in the planning consent, which requires the developer to take steps to ensure future coal extraction from beneath the site can be undertaken. That makes strange bed-fellows of renewable energy and fossil fuels!
The move will be welcomed by the wind energy industry, which issued a report in May of this year demonstrating how onshore wind farms were worth £548m to the UK economy in 2011.