Village stages ‘people’s consultation’ against Bute Energy wind farm plans

Martin Shipton

More than 200 people flocked to a small Powys village to voice their anger at plans to build a massive wind farm on neighbouring hills which they fear would overwhelm the community.

While would-be developer Bute Energy held a “drop-in event” in Hundred House village hall about its plans for 18 giant turbines on Aberedw Hill, residents from the village and surrounding areas attended a “people’s consultation” taking place outside.

With the aid of huge signs displayed on various items of farm machinery, along with a drumming band and a loudspeaker blaring out the sound of a wind turbine, they aimed to send a message to the company about the strength of feeling against its proposals. Many lorry and car drivers hooted their support as they drove past.

RE-think

Organised by the campaign group RE-think and local residents, the alternative “people’s consultation” attracted support from other campaign groups who travelled from as far away as Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Montgomeryshire to be there. The Mayors of both Builth Wells and Llandrindod Wells, Cllr Mark Hammond and Cllr Steve Deeks-D’Silva, were present.

The groups set up their own stands on a private car park across the road, with displays and people on hand to discuss the extent of Bute Energy’s proposals both locally and across Wales, and how they believe they would affect communities and the environment.

At one stage everyone loudly chanted: “Stop Bute Energy, our hills are not for sale,” and then formed a line along the pavement to reflect the length of the proposed turbine blades at around 80 metres.

Local resident Natalie Barstow said: “We organised the people’s consultation to give local communities a space to speak openly, something Bute’s consultation process doesn’t allow.

“We are not opposed to renewables, but we are opposed to corporate exploitation of Welsh land and communities. It was a powerful day of solidarity, with people from across Wales coming together to stand up for the places they love.”

She added: “I think it went incredibly well. People turned up and stood together openly discussing the true impacts of this project. There was a clear and growing sense of frustration that too many of our elected representatives are failing to engage with what’s really happening on the ground. If they continue to ignore the voices of their communities, they will be remembered for their failure to act.”

RE-think campaign lead Jenny Chryss said: “It was beyond our wildest expectations that so many people would turn up today to show their support and to voice their anger and concern about these proposals. That strength of feeling must surely now be clear to Bute. People are beginning to understand the extent of its proposals both here in Radnorshire and across the region.

“The turbines that Bute intends to build are bigger than almost any yet onshore in the UK. Methods of measuring the effect they will have on communities are largely out of date and what is in place was designed for much smaller infrastructure.

“And for what? Onshore wind turbines are inefficient, producing less than 30% of their capacity, and don’t work when the wind doesn’t blow. Operators get paid to turn them off when there’s too much wind, and we’ve just heard that this system is soon to become even more attractive to the generator at the expense of energy bill payers.

“Bute Energy is proposing up to 16 of these so called ‘energy parks’ across the region, despite it becoming increasingly obvious that only a sensible mix of viable renewable energy schemes using differing technologies will actually get us anywhere near ‘net zero’.

“Meanwhile these proposals would leave some local residents staring up at 200-metre-high turbines on hills that are even higher, working or not depending on the weather. The energy they produce will go straight to the national grid with nothing in it for the people of Wales except for some ungenerous and divisive so-called community benefits which would represent only a tiny fraction of the money that the Bute Energy Group shareholders would take away.”

‘Excellent wind resource’

Bute Energy states on its website: “This site has been identified as having excellent wind resource and good site access. We’ve undertaken extensive site and desk-based technical studies as well as environmental feasibility assessments to help us demonstrate that the site is optimal for renewable energy generation.

“[We are] seeking to deliver an energy park which will provide approximately 120MW of clean, green energy using the latest wind turbine technology – enough to power between 86,000 and 113,000 homes.

“The proposed development includes 18 wind turbines with a maximum blade tip height of 200m, turbine foundations, crane hardstanding and laydown/storage areas.

“The site will have access tracks and an electrical substation.

“There will be temporary construction and storage compounds and borrow pits on site during construction.

“The proposals have been updated following the results of surveys and feedback received from the community and key stakeholders as part of our earlier consultation.

“We’ve altered our site design to:

Reduce potential shadow flicker and noise at nearby properties;

Reduce development on common land;

Minimise impacts on landscape, visual amenity and historic features; and

Minimise impacts on the watercourses across the site.

“We’re proposing to upgrade an existing road junction and highway to the wind farm site to minimise the amount of new development on Aberedw Hill.

“We’ve selected a substation location near the A481 which will be designed to look like a farm shed and will create an easier connection to the grid. This will have its own upgraded access from the A481.

“We’ve agreed our aviation lighting scheme with the Civil Aviation Authority and complies with Ministry of Defence guidance.

“In addition to producing the cleaner, greener more sustainable energy needed to tackle the climate emergency, Aberedw Energy Park will deliver significant benefits to the local community.

“For every megawatt of energy that Aberedw Energy Park has the capacity to generate, there’ll be £7,500 invested in the local community. This will see an annual Community Benefit fund in the region of up to £900,000 each year over the lifespan of the project.

“The Community Benefit Fund will be administered through an independent charitable entity to support local communities to create legacy projects, support charities and groups and to improve services.

“The fund is also linked to the Consumer Price Index to allow for economic inflation and to future proof the funding.

“Informed by engagement with local people and stakeholders, community benefit funding will focus on creating healthier, wealthier communities by supporting recreational, health and wellbeing improvements, enhancing local education offering and identifying more pathways into employment for local people. It will also highlight opportunities to celebrate and promote local culture, heritage, and biodiversity.”