Proposals launched for Abertillery wind farm
Early proposals have been launched for a wind farm in Abertillery capable of providing enough renewable energy to meet the needs of 44,000 homes.
The informal public consultation is being made by RWE, Wales’ largest electricity generator, for a wind farm on the boundary between Torfaen and Blaenau Gwent.
If approved, Abertillery Wind Farm, located between Abertillery and Abersychan, could consist of up to six turbines with a capacity of around 36 MW and a maximum tip height of up to 200m with the possibility of battery storage on site as well.
The informal consultation runs from 28 February to 21 March online, with in-person events at Abertillery and Abersychan.
It will be the first opportunity for local people to have their say on the project and follows some earlier engagement with groups including elected representatives, councils and nearby landowners.
Feedback
RWE currently produces around 15 per cent of the UK’s electricity and will take any feedback from members of the public into consideration before running a formal pre-application consultation later in the year.
Ollie Piper, RWE’s project manager leading on the development said: “The plans for the proposed Abertillery Wind Farm are at an early stage in development, and our intention at this initial public consultation is to share information with interested groups, and provide an opportunity for local people to speak with the project team.
“We will also be looking for feedback on the environmental and visual aspects of the project, as well as to hear what local people will want as part of a community benefits package.
“We believe that there is good potential on this site for a renewable energy project, which will help tackle climate change and secure energy supplies.”
The site is registered as common land and incorporates parts of Mynydd James and Gwastad Common which means RWE will require separate planning permission from Welsh Government to develop on common land.
The Welsh Government is currently reviewing its own climate targets with a view to increasing its target for Wales to meet a proportion of its electricity demand from Welsh renewable electricity sources from 70 percent to 100 percent by 2035.
RWE say the wind farm could support the Welsh Government’s policy aspiration for shared or local ownership – where a local organisation or public body invests and receives a direct share of any profits.
Although RWE has conducted survey work on the site already, the developer is still at the very early stages of the project.
The consultation events are being held at Abersychan, Millennium Hall on March 10 and Abertillery, Wyndham Vowles Community Centre on March 11.
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
No! Wales already has too many. Put them in the Cotswolds or the Penines.
Which out of these things would you prefer instead:
No energy at all
Nuclear Power plant on the same land
Coal-fired power plant on the same land
I can see the point of the first post, seeing as we only use half of the power we generate, why do we need more wind farms? are we going to power the whole planet, and still not benefit from it ? When we are able to profit from all these proposed new wind farms, and use the money for our education system and healthcare and to improve the lives of the people of Cymru, until then, NO more.
Its a money spinner for developers which we have to pay for with high bills
All due respect its s big scam developers make s pile of cash out of this and wind power only contributes about 1.7 overall to the grid and who pays for this little scam we the consumers with outrageous bills and how many coalfired power stations do you think are left in the uk besides which a recent report has stated that wind turbines are being turned off as the Network cant handle them i look around in my area and the wind turbines are very often idle in a windy day at the end if the day we have… Read more »
Better still put them in sussex and surrey .
Those close to the windfarm should jointly own part of the windfarm through a co-op and benefit by reduced bills. In addition before any such scheme proceeds the mountain tops need a detailed, finger tip, archelogical survey (not a desk top review) to detail those areas that should be kept clear of construction. These tops are not empty land but have a full history that has not yet been fully investigated.
How about all future investments being wholly owned by communities rather than grant grabbing corporations who don’t give a **** about our country just seeing it as a way of sucking up government funds and banking the proceeds as far away as possible? The Bay Bubble crew have shown their colours by lobbing a £4 million farm at some favoured entrepreneur so back some community enterprises for a change.
There will be more concrete forests in Wales when the number of electric cars increases. No mountain will be safe!
Nobody is asking the key question which is whether the out of date Cymric distribution system can handle all that power. There is a huge pile of locally designed projects that are stalled because the Distribution Companies are not investing in the necessary wires.
What’s the point OH wait some developer will make a pile of cash whilst our bills will go up because someone has to pay for their profits that someone is the consumer all this bs about less carbon is a red herring Reports have been issued about turbines being turned off because the Network cannot cope with the extra power generated besides these eyesores on the tops of our mountains only contribute 1.7 percent of the overall energy produced about time People woke up to this scam.