25-megawatt south Wales windfarm gets thumbs-up
Welsh Ministers have approved a 25-megawatt wind turbine project in south Wales.
Renewable energy developer RES has received approval for the Upper Ogmore Wind Farm and energy storage project, located near Blaengarw and Nant-y-Moel in Bridgend; the first onshore wind project to be considered under the Developments of National Significance planning process.
It was assessed by The Planning Inspectorate on behalf of Welsh Government before the decision was made by Welsh Ministers to approve the project.
The 25 MW project will generate low-cost renewable electricity to help decarbonise homes and industry, and support Wales’ transition to a low carbon economy.
Chris Jackson, project manager said: “This a great result for renewable energy in Wales and our efforts to tackle climate change as a country. The clean, green electricity produced will make a significant contribution to our target of 70% of electricity to come from renewables by 2030.
“We also know developing new onshore wind projects in Wales is popular and that they deliver significant local economic benefits. At Upper Ogmore we expect that £16 million in business rates will be paid across the lifetime of the project, helping to support vital local services in the area.”
RES history
The renewable energy company has been progressing proposals for the seven-turbine wind farm and energy storage project since 2017, refined following feedback received during the public consultation process and information gathered during detailed site survey work.
RES has been active in Wales since the early 1990s, and most recently completed the 17-tubine Garreg Lwyd Hill Wind Farm in Powys.
At Upper Ogmore, it is anticipated that more than £1.9 million would be invested in the local economy through construction and first year of operation.
In December 2021 the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) also approved RES’ Llanbrynmair Wind Farm in Powys.
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…meanwhile, across the border, in that Englandshire that they have now, plans move forward to destroy the countryside and the water table by fracturing shale for a piddling amount of gas that has been proved economically unviable. …The problem with England is that is full of yokels and cud-chewers,…and there appears to be a rather worrying upward trend of English people engaging in unnatural acts with livestock too. … (ah, now come on English! I thought youse loved the old yokel banter and accusations of bestiality? … Its not as much fun when you are the one being called backwards… Read more »
Oh surely Kathy, Sheep Shagging was a country pursuit that died out years ago, or at least since the time I used to live in the West Country. We youngsters got to talk about it, but never met anybody who practiced the art.
Anyway, nice to see another onshore wind turbine going up. It would just be nice if locals could buy into the project and thus pick up some of the dividends rather than have them slither away to Germany and France.
It would be a good thing to see direct, long-term benefits for the communities affected.
The Mynydd Gorddu windfarm, near Talybont in Ceredigion, has a scheme where a proportion of the annual profits are paid into a community trust (Cronfa Eleri) which makes grants to local groups. Typically it’s about £20k per year, which makes a lot of difference to a rural area.
Could the developers be persuaded/required to set up a similar scheme?