Plaid Cymru slam Council’s solar farm sell-off

Stephen Price

Plaid Cymru has criticised the sell-off of a council-owned solar farm after the sale price was revealed following a Freedom of Information request.

In response to the request from Plaid Cymru, Caerphilly’s Labour-run authority said that it received £2,693,428 from the sale but this was offset by sale costs of £168,379 to date and £1,364,368 in site development costs, leaving them £1,160,681.52.

The solar farm is set to be connected to the grid in December 2026 and is expected to produce enough clean energy to power around 6,000 homes per year. The development is viewed as a significant step in tackling the climate emergency and bolstering renewable energy use in Caerphilly.

But Councillor Charlotte Bishop, leader of the Plaid Cymru group on Caerphilly County Borough Council (CCBC), said: “My concern isn’t simply whether the council made a profit. It’s whether the council sold a strategic, income-generating public asset too early, potentially giving away decades of future revenue for a one-off gain.

“I’d be interested to know whether selling it actually represented the best value for taxpayers. Was there an independent valuation? How many bids were received? Did the council compare the sale price with the income the solar farm could have generated over the next 25–30 years if it had retained ownership? And where has the £1.16m actually gone?

Lindsay Whittle, Senedd Member for Blaenau Gwent, Caerffili and Rhymni, said: “This sale smacks of a lack of foresight by Labour, something we have been well used to over the years. A short term financial gain, but at the expense of long term continuing income.

“The dead hand of Labour at play, so short-sighted and another example of why the public has turned against Labour and will never return. Fuse Energy is laughing all the way to the bank.”

Councillor Gary Enright, Joint Deputy Leader of the Plaid Cymru group, said: “This authority’s current approach is to offload tangible assets for re- sale.

“However, when those assets are potential revenue earners over a substantially longer period than this current authority’s administration term. You have to ask the question: has sound financial due diligence been applied here.?

“I further question who has advised the authority to offload this valuable asset and in this manner, when you consider that development land within the UK with consented planning permission alone in general increases in value between 4-8% per year. You have to offer the question has CCBC yet again just given away the family silver in a bargain basement car boot sale.”

Penyrheol councillor and environmental campaigner Aneurin Minton said: “What we’re seeing here is another glaring example of a lack of vision from the local authority.

“The project could have been a model scheme integrating green energy seamlessly into our community, building public support for net-zero, and securing tangible financial benefits for both local residents and the council.”

Fellow Joint Deputy Leader Colin Mann added: “Councillors were assured over a number of years that the solar farm was a project being developed as a means of generating income for CCBC. The about-turn by Labour is extremely short-sighted and very disappointing.”

According to the council, the site was sold to Fuse Energy for almost £2.7million, delivering a profit of over £1.1million for the council after taking into account sale costs and associated fees.

Fuse Energy acquired the solar farm site from the council to power thousands of homes and accelerate grid flexibility. The council was advised by Savills Earth Capital Advisory (SECA) on the sale.

Councillor Amanda McConnell, Caerphilly Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Change, said: “The Cwm Ifor Solar Farm could power around 6,000 homes with clean electricity, while supporting a more flexible and resilient energy system.”

“We’re pleased to be working with Fuse Energy to bring this project forward and deliver lasting environmental and economic benefits. The profits generated from the sale of the site will be reinvested in delivering key services to our communities.”

---

Get more trusted Welsh news

Choose Nation.Cymru as a preferred source in Google News to see more of our journalism.