The Aberedw Energy Park and Bryn Gilwern Energy Park projects respond to the climate emergency and will contribute to a stronger, more resilient renewable electricity supply while supporting the Welsh Government’s target for electricity to be 100 percent renewable by 2035.
The projects will also support the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with local, national and international targets and the declared climate emergency.
The two proposed Energy Parks are located east of Llandrindod Wells and Builth Wells in Powys, with Bryn Gilwern being completely within a Welsh Government Pre-Assessed Area for large-scale onshore wind energy.
Combined, the proposed Energy Parks will have up to 34 wind turbines with a maximum height of 220 metres at Bryn Gilwern and 200 metres at Aberedw. Once operational, they will be capable of producing approximately 192 MW of clean, green energy. The Energy Parks will connect to the electricity transmission network via the proposed Green GEN Cymru Towy Usk green energy network to be built by Green GEN Cymru, part of the Bute Energy Group.
As part of the Aberedw and Bryn Gilwern Energy Park proposals, two Community Benefits Funds will be established, which combined, are currently anticipated to deliver around £1.4 million worth of investment per year locally.
The company’s Community Benefits team are focused on creating pathways for local people to gain employment, ensuring best practice access to our energy parks and working with local schools and community facilities to help reduce energy bills and carbon footprints.
In addition to the fund, Bute Energy is committed to ensuring as much investment stays as local as possible. Each contract Bute Energy award during development and construction will see partners sign up to a Social Value Standard, which will support and direct partners to invest jobs, time, resources and money into the communities near projects, aiming to keep as much of Bute’s investment in Wales for the benefit of local communities.
Consultation will run from Wednesday 8 November to 20 December 2023, with community drop-in sessions held to allow local people to view information on the proposals and have their say. In this first round of consultation, Bute Energy would like to hear the local community’s views on their emerging proposals, including the location of the turbines, buildings, equipment and access routes.
Bute Energy’s Community Benefits team will also attend the events, to identify local groups and services to engage with, to help Bute Energy understand the needs and aspirations of the communities and how to best deliver investment and benefit for the local area.
“We’re pleased to be launching the proposed Aberedw and Bryn Gilwern Energy Parks” said James Nicol, Senior Project Manager at Bute Energy. “Together they respond to the climate emergency, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and support the Welsh Government’s target for electricity to be 100 percent renewable by 2035. There is endless potential for renewable energy in Wales – particularly from the wind that blows across our hills and mountains. Bute Energy is taking action now to help deliver this clean, green energy to our homes and businesses. We want to hear the views of local people, so we can take them into account as we develop our plans. We also want to hear from local people on how we can help support projects and tackle issues in communities around the site – so we can deliver real, meaningful and lasting benefits.”
Following this round of public consultation, all feedback given will be carefully considered, along with environmental, technical, and ecological surveys, ahead of further public consultation.
The proposed Aberedw and Bryn Gilwern Energy Parks are classed as Developments of National Significance. This means that Bute Energy will make two separate applications to Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW), which will make a recommendation to Welsh Ministers on whether or not to grant planning permission. Bute Energy currently expect to submit a planning application to PEDW in 2025, after thorough public consultation.
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