A proposed 28-turbine wind farm at Brechfa Forest West in Carmarthenshire has been given planning permission and is now set to go ahead. The site is located on Forestry Commission land in the Afon Pib Valley, east of Alltwalis and covers 1041 hectares. An existing ten-turbine wind farm is located nearby. The present arrangement could accommodate an installed capacity of between 56 and 84MW with average annual generation expected to supply the domestic needs of up to 39,700 average UK households.
“Onshore wind has an important role to play as part of a balanced energy mix” said a spokesman from the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC). “This development will enhance our energy security, help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create up to 150 construction jobs. While development of the Brechfa Forest West wind farm would bring adverse visual and landscape impacts, these are not so significant as to outweigh the desirability and pressing need for this type of infrastructure.
The final decision on the wind farm, in this case, lay with the government in Westminster rather than the devolved Welsh government on account of the wind farm having more than 50MW of capacity.
The developers, RWE Npower, have been updating local communities on the progress of the application throughout the planning process and ensuring the company is involved in local dialogue concerning the project. The company’s involvement in local discussion has also included a number of public exhibitions, information posted in the local media and dialogue with local stakeholders and community representatives.
“The construction of the Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm will provide a valuable boost to the local economy, injecting up to £19 million into the economies of South and West Wales, and supporting up to 224 jobs in the region during each year of construction alone” said Bethan Edwards, RWE Npower’s renewables project developer. “These important economic benefits continue through to the operation of the wind farm. Local community benefits will amount to around £560,000 per year over the life of the wind farm, depending upon the final installed capacity.”
She added that next year a separate planning application will have to be made by Western Power Distribution for the transmission cables, to be carried on wooden poles, connecting the wind farm to the national grid.
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