Plans for a wind farm in Rhondda Cynon Taf which could power more than 15,000 homes have been submitted. The plan for seven turbines at Mynydd y Glyn, east of Trebanog, has been put forward by Pennant Walters Ltd, with a potential capacity of 30 megawatts (MW).
The planning statement submitted with the application said that, based on indicative, smaller capacity turbines of 3.45MW, the proposed development would see the generation of 24.2MW of renewable energy, which would power about 15,376 homes. It said the development would support investment in the economy and employment with around 41 full-time equivalent jobs during construction and four during operation. It is estimated that the construction phase would cost £9.6m.
The proposed development would be locally owned with Pennant Walters and its parent company, the Walters Group, headquartered within RCT. The site is located about 1km east of Trebanog and 600m south-east of Glynfach and would be accessed via a new track leading from a new junction on the A4233. It would be located on the summit and upper slopes of Mynydd y Glyn to the south of Rhondda River. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
The 182 hectares site will include a substation and control building, temporary construction compounds including temporary site offices, crane pads at each turbine location, turbine foundations, lay down and storage areas, underground power cables linking the turbines and the substation, internal access tracks, a new access from the A4233, an overhead line section of a longer grid connection (the remainder to be underground) between the site and an existing National Grid substation, and other works. The final decision on the application will be made by Planning and Environment Decisions Wales (PEDW) as the development is described as being of national significance.
The planning statement said the development was considered to accord with policy in that the environmental effects arising from its construction and operation were not considered to be significant when weighed against the benefits that it would deliver by supporting the Welsh Government’s aims of generating 70% of consumed electricity by renewable means by 2030.
It said: “Onshore wind farms, by their nature, give rise to localised landscape (and visual) effects but the level of effect must be balanced with the benefits of the development and for this application, specifically balanced against the significant weight to be afforded to the need to generate energy from renewable resources.” In terms of biodiversity, the statement said there would be no unacceptable impacts on the integrity of internationally or nationally designated sites.
It added that materials would be sourced locally wherever possible and the applicant proposed to enhance the quality of habitats at the site, recognising that part of it was designated as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation.
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