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Welsh Government approves plans for enormous solar farm

29 May 2024 2 minute read
Senghenydd Dyke is close to the site of Cwm Ifor. Photo by Gareth James is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

Nicholas Thomas, local democracy reporter

The Welsh Government has approved plans for a major solar farm that could generate enough electricity to power 6,000 homes.

Caerphilly Council had sought planning permission for the solar farm on a site near Penyrheol.

Julie James, the Welsh Government’s cabinet secretary for planning, signed off on the decision on Wednesday (29 May) for the roughly 20MW capacity project at Cwm Ifor Farm.

Cwm Ifor

Billed as what could be the largest publicly-owned solar farm in Wales, Cwm Ifor is the brainchild of Caerphilly Council, which at the time of submitting the planning application had not ruled out selling the project to another party.

The council has been approached for comment on the government’s decision.

The project has already received council backing but required Welsh Government assent because the size of the solar farm means it is considered to be a “development of national significance”.

A senior councillor previously said the move to invest in renewable energy was in line with its commitments to achieve carbon-neutral status and reduce emissions.


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Y Cymro
Y Cymro
4 months ago

I suppose this is a tad better than dumping tons of irradiated English mud off the Welsh coast from Hinckley Point, although saying that, it’s not exactly clear if it’s solely a Welsh Government decision or in conjunction with the National Grid seeing it’s claimed that this 20MW project will power 6,000 homes. And are there any sweeteners involved I wonder? After all, Vaughan Gething as first minister does like his fiscal freebies so I’ve heard, allegedly.

Riki
Riki
4 months ago

Let me guess, on a site where we have buried Welsh forts and villages/towns from antiquity. Our government is a puppet government of the English and WEF who seek to erode our culture and history. Ask Cadw about Caermead and why the work was stopped, ask them why is there a Celtic knot artwork on Mosaics in Italy itself.

Last edited 4 months ago by Riki
Iago
Iago
4 months ago
Reply to  Riki

The Celts were a collection of cultures rather than a single ethnic group. Celtic cultures have been found from Britain to Turkey.

The oldest Celtic language has been evidenced by inscriptions to have been spoken in Italy which is why there would be Celtic art work in Italy. Why do you think there’s Celtic artwork in Italy?

Riki
Riki
4 months ago
Reply to  Iago

Why are British records identical to Roman ones? I’ll let that stew with you for a while! The term “Celt” was invented so that the Britons could be thrown in with the Irish. Done so anything the Anglo couldnt portray as theirs they could easily give to Ireland. We are not “Celtic”, The term Celtic was invented based of a term once used thousands of years ago by the ancient Greeks. It has no relevance to Wales! I very much subscribe to Rome being nothing but a small fishing village up until the 1200s. The De Medici family changed all… Read more »

Riki
Riki
4 months ago

Ask about Caermead please! Ask about the Celtic knot art work in Italy. Why doesn’t anyone care for the destruction of our culture?

Ap Kenneth
4 months ago
Reply to  Riki

Caermead is near Llanilltud Fawr and while a fascinating site that needs further investigation (and may be of incredible importance) it is not near this solar site. The Senghenydd site itself needs proper archeological investigations prior to any development, not a desk study. However solar developments are not very invasive as far as ground disturbance is concerned and could be dismantled after 40 years.

Riki
Riki
4 months ago
Reply to  Ap Kenneth

I was using it as an example!

Oksana
Oksana
4 months ago
Reply to  Ap Kenneth

Solar panels will need to be replaced every 8-15 years, plus those which may be damaged and replaced sooner. Who will be responsible for the massive issue with solar panels waste?
This means, that within the course of 40 years, all this massive amount of solar panels will need to be replaced about 3-4 times. Where will all the waste go?

All this enormous cut of land goes to create profit to an Italian company and takes this land out of development or any other use, while the housing prices are soaring, and homeless people are dying on streets.

Betel23
Betel23
4 months ago

So the WG is going to tear up the “ what looks like Green Areas” costing millions again on a folly for 6000 homes. How long before things start to slide and slip due to underground instabilities?

Why vote
Why vote
4 months ago

Is this to be sold off later or funded in any way by a foreign energy company where all the electricity will be transferred to England.

Ap Kenneth
4 months ago
Reply to  Why vote

If Caerphilly Council do not complete the project then it needs to be finished by a co-operative, such as Ripple or Awel Co-op so that people in Wales can invest in and benefit from the enrgy produced.

Howie
Howie
4 months ago

Unless the council is using the energy direct by private wire then they cannot claim it is reducing their emissions, I suspect they will be having a Energy supply company giving them a reduced price for selling the energy supplied to grid. Maybe CCBC would confirm that. I managed a similar project for another Welsh council before I retired, the electricity was going to be bought by a national energy company, by using battery storage you could command a higher return by selling to grid at high demand periods. At the time approaches were made to Welsh Govt to setup… Read more »

Dai Jones
Dai Jones
4 months ago

Imagine that. Welsh Labour at it again.

Oksana
Oksana
4 months ago

I think this is a massive waste of land, accumulation of solar panel waste, and unpredictable changes to a local microclimate!
With all the windy days in Wales, how many wind turbines could be placed on the same area, without taking a massive area of land and soil out of use, without accumulating waste from used solar panels and diverting sunlight from penetrating large surface of land with animals, plants and insects that rely on the sun warming up the ground where they live?

It is a wasteful giveaway of a priceless Welsh land to some rich Italian dudes.

Ap Trefor
Ap Trefor
4 months ago

I keep reading these reports of proposed new renewable energy projects and of how many thousands of homes they could power. All these reports are based on their CAPACITY or MAXIMUM outputs in the most favourable strong winds or summer sunshine peaks. None of them admit that their effective averages over a whole year is only 25% or a quarter for wind and just 10% or a tenth for solar. Also that their power entering the grid is about two thirds used for industrial factories; hospitals, schools, colleges, offices and other non domestic uses. This means that the number of… Read more »

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