Member Article

Green energy sparks up at Wales’ largest onshore wind farm

Wales’ largest onshore wind farm has generated clean electricity for the first time as the project full operation.

Vattenfall, the Swedish energy company, is now looking forward to the completion of the 76-turbine Pen y Cymoedd Wind Energy Project early next year.

In a joint venture Jones Bros and Balfour Beatty delivered infrastructure for the project, Wales’ largest wind farm and bigger than any English project.

Lesley Griffiths, Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, Welsh Government, said: “It’s great news that Wales’ largest onshore wind farm is now generating energy.

“Supporting the development of more renewable energy projects is a key priority for the Welsh Government and this marks progress towards our goal of reducing our greenhouse emissions by at least 80 per cent by 2050.”

Mike Pitcher, programme executive for the Energy Delivery Programme at Natural Resources Wales, said: “The development at Pen y Cymoedd is an important step for renewable energy in Wales.

“In addition to giving a boost to the green energy sector, the work to restore extensive areas of peatland habitat and the development of new mountain bike trails shows how it’s possible to generate multiple benefits for people, nature and the economy when delivering renewable energy projects.”

The Welsh Government challenged the Welsh renewable electricity sector to generate 7,000GWh by 2020. Pen y Cymoedd will deliver 11 per cent of that target.

It is expected to produce enough power annually to meet the electricity demand of more than 188,000 UK households and will more than meet the domestic demand of host local authorities Rhondda Cynon Taf and Neath Port Talbot. Over the lifetime of the project, it is expected to save 6.4 million tonnes of CO2.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sam Harris .