Welsh Brechfa Forest Windfarm gets Go-Ahead

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland) - An onshore windfarm in south Wales with a generating capacity of up to 84-megawatts (MW) has been given the green light in south Wales, in the U.K..

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has granted permission to RWE Npower (Swindon, England), the U.K. arm of German energy major RWE AG (OTC:RWEOY) (Essen, Germany), to build the Brechfa Forest West windfarm in Carmarthenshire.

The project is the first onshore wind farm to be consented in the U.K. through the new Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) scheme, which deals with all power projects with a capacity of more than 50 MW.

"Onshore wind has an important role to play as part of a balanced energy mix," said a spokesperson for the Department of Energy and Climate Change. "This development will enhance our energy security, help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create up to 150 construction jobs."

The site is located on Forestry Commission land in the Afon Pib Valley, east of Alltwalis and covers 1,041 hectares. There is an existing 10 turbine windfarm nearby. The new windfarm has a scope for an installed capacity of between 56 and 84 MW. The average output will produce enough power for approximately 40,000 homes.

"The construction of the Brechfa Forest West Wind Farm will provide a valuable boost to the local economy, injecting up to £19 million into the economies of South and West Wales, and supporting up to 224 jobs in the region during each year of construction alone" explained Bethan Edwards, RWE Npower's renewables project developer. "These important economic benefits continue through to the operation of the wind farm. Local community benefits will amount to around £560,000 per year over the life of the wind farm, depending upon the final installed capacity."

RWE is also seeking planning permission for the smaller Brechfa Forest East windfarm, which propose up to 12 turbines with a generating capacity of between 24 and 36 MW on a 270 hectare site. The windfarm, if approved, could provide electricity for around 15,000 homes.

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